Navy-and-cream crocheted S keychain with periwinkle flowers, yellow centers, green leaves, and gold keyring.

Bluebell Ripple Letter S Keychain Crochet Pattern

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This little keychain is a chunky capital letter S worked in crisp chevron stripes of deep navy and soft cream. Small periwinkle flowers with sunny yellow stamens and fresh green leaves sit on the two curled ends of the letter, which gives it a cottage-garden feel. A gold keyring hangs from the top edge.

The navy and cream colors have a nautical look, so the keychain suits a gym bag, a rowing club tote, or a set of house keys. The stripes are dense and slightly ridged, and the flowers stand up off the surface.

The pattern uses US crochet terms. The finished letter measures 2.75 in (7.0 cm) wide and 3.75 in (9.5 cm) tall, not counting the flowers or keyring.

The letter is a single flat piece worked in rows from the bottom up. Full-width rows form the three horizontal bars of the S, and half-width rows form the two stems. A short chain bridges each gap, so the openings form as you work. One round of navy single crochet then outlines the whole shape. You make three flowers and five leaves separately and sew them on.

Finished Size and Construction

  • Finished size: 2.75 in wide x 3.75 in tall (7.0 x 9.5 cm)
  • Skill level: Intermediate
  • Terminology: US crochet terms
  • Yarn weight: Fingering weight (#1) cotton
  • Hook: 2.5 mm (US B/1 or C/2)
  • Number of pieces: 1 letter, plus 3 flowers and 5 leaves as appliqués
  • Layout: Single letter, no joining
  • Piece size before border: 2.5 in wide x 3.5 in tall (6.4 x 8.9 cm)
  • Border depth: 1 round of sc, about 0.125 in (0.3 cm) on each side

Materials

Choose a smooth, tightly plied mercerized cotton. It gives clean chevron points, keeps the outline sharp, and holds up to daily handling on a bag. Avoid fuzzy or very soft yarns, which blur the stripes.

Yarn (fingering weight cotton):

  • Navy blue: 6 g, about 20 m
  • Cream: 4 g, about 14 m
  • Periwinkle (light blue-violet): 2 g, about 7 m
  • Leaf green: 1 g, about 3 m
  • Sunny yellow: 1 g, about 3 m

These quantities include a small extra margin for swatching and tails.

Tools:

  • 2.5 mm crochet hook
  • Tapestry needle with a sharp tip
  • Scissors
  • Stitch markers (2)
  • Gold keyring, about 1 in (2.5 cm) across, with a small jump ring
  • Two pairs of flat-nose pliers
  • Blocking mat and rust-proof pins
  • Spray bottle with water

Abbreviations (US Terms)

  • ch: chain
  • sl st: slip stitch
  • sc: single crochet
  • hdc: half double crochet
  • dc: double crochet
  • tr: treble crochet
  • sc2tog: single crochet 2 together
  • st(s): stitch(es)
  • RS / WS: right side / wrong side
  • rep: repeat

Special stitch – Chevron Repeat (worked over 9 sts, makes 9 sts): sc2tog, sc in next 2 sts, 3 sc in next st, sc in next 2 sts, sc2tog.

The repeat is symmetrical, so it reads the same on RS and WS rows. Each 3-sc group goes into the center sc of the 3-sc group below, which forms the peaks. The sc2tog pairs form the valleys.

Gauge and Checkpoints

Gauge: 18 sts and 8 rows of Chevron Repeat = 2.5 in wide x 1 in tall (6.4 x 2.5 cm).

Make a test swatch first. Work Rows 1–8 of the letter in navy only and measure it flat without stretching. These rows are the bottom of the letter, so if the swatch matches the gauge, you can keep going.

Checkpoints (before border):

  • After Row 6: 2.5 in wide x 0.75 in tall (6.4 x 1.9 cm)
  • After Row 11: stem is 1.25 in (3.2 cm) wide; piece is 1.375 in (3.5 cm) tall
  • After Row 17: 2.5 in wide x 2.125 in tall (6.4 x 5.4 cm)
  • After Row 22: piece is 2.75 in (7.0 cm) tall
  • After Row 28: 2.5 in wide x 3.5 in tall (6.4 x 8.9 cm)

If your piece is too big, use a hook 0.25 mm smaller. If it is too small, use a hook 0.25 mm larger.

Two crocheted blue flowers with yellow stamens and green leaves decorate blue and cream striped crochet band.

Letter S Body

Stripe sequence: navy for Rows 1–3, 6–8, 11–13, 16–18, 21–23, and 26–28. Cream for Rows 4–5, 9–10, 14–15, 19–20, and 24–25. That makes 6 navy stripes and 5 cream stripes.

Change color on the last yarn-over of the row before the new stripe. Cut the old color and leave a 4 in (10.2 cm) tail. You can work over the tails at the side edges during the border.

The ch 1 at the start of each row is a turning chain and does not count as a stitch.

Bottom Bar (Rows 1–6)

With navy, ch 19.

Row 1 (RS): Starting in the 2nd ch from hook, work Chevron Repeat twice. (18 sts)

Rows 2–3: Ch 1, turn, work Chevron Repeat twice. (18 sts)

Rows 4–5: Change to cream. Ch 1, turn, work Chevron Repeat twice. (18 sts)

Row 6 (WS): Change to navy. Ch 1, turn, work Chevron Repeat twice. (18 sts)

Row 6 ends at the right edge of the letter (as seen from the RS).

Lower Stem (Rows 7–11)

The lower stem sits on the right half. The 9 sts you leave unworked become the floor of the lower-left opening.

Row 7 (RS): Ch 1, turn, work Chevron Repeat over the first 9 sts only. Leave the remaining 9 sts unworked. (9 sts)

Row 8: Ch 1, turn, work Chevron Repeat once. (9 sts)

Rows 9–10: Change to cream. Ch 1, turn, work Chevron Repeat once. (9 sts)

Row 11 (RS): Change to navy. Ch 1, turn, work Chevron Repeat once. (9 sts)

Row 11 ends at the inner (left) edge of the stem.

Middle Bar (Rows 12–17)

At the end of Row 11, ch 10 with navy. This chain spans the lower-left opening.

Row 12 (WS): Starting in the 2nd ch from hook, work Chevron Repeat across the next 9 ch. Then work Chevron Repeat across the 9 stem sts. (18 sts)

Row 13: Ch 1, turn, work Chevron Repeat twice. (18 sts)

Rows 14–15: Change to cream. Ch 1, turn, work Chevron Repeat twice. (18 sts)

Rows 16–17: Change to navy. Ch 1, turn, work Chevron Repeat twice. (18 sts)

Row 17 (RS) ends at the left edge.

Upper Stem (Rows 18–22)

Row 18 (WS): Ch 1, turn, work Chevron Repeat over the first 9 sts only. Leave the remaining 9 sts unworked. (9 sts)

This puts the upper stem on the left half. The 9 unworked sts form the floor of the upper-right opening.

Rows 19–20: Change to cream. Ch 1, turn, work Chevron Repeat once. (9 sts)

Rows 21–22: Change to navy. Ch 1, turn, work Chevron Repeat once. (9 sts)

Row 22 (WS) ends at the inner (right) edge of the stem.

Top Bar (Rows 23–28)

At the end of Row 22, ch 10 with navy.

Row 23 (RS): Starting in the 2nd ch from hook, work Chevron Repeat across the next 9 ch, then across the 9 stem sts. (18 sts)

Rows 24–25: Change to cream. Ch 1, turn, work Chevron Repeat twice. (18 sts)

Rows 26–28: Change to navy. Ch 1, turn, work Chevron Repeat twice. (18 sts)

Fasten off. Each opening measures 1.25 in wide x 0.625 in tall (3.2 x 1.6 cm).

Flowers (make 3)

With periwinkle, make a magic ring.

Rnd 1: Ch 1, 5 sc in ring, sl st to first sc. Pull the ring closed. (5 sc)

Rnd 2: *In next sc work (sl st, ch 2, dc, tr, ch 2, sl st in 2nd ch from hook for a picot tip, dc, ch 2, sl st); rep from * 4 more times. (5 petals)

Fasten off, leaving a 6 in (15.2 cm) tail for sewing. Each flower is about 0.9 in (2.3 cm) across.

Stamens: With yellow, embroider 5 straight stitches out from the center, each about 0.25 in (0.6 cm) long. Add a small French knot at the tip of each one, plus one knot in the center.

Leaves (make 5)

With green, ch 7.

Starting in the 2nd ch from hook, work: sl st, sc, hdc, dc, hdc, sc. (6 sts)

Ch 1 at the tip, then work along the other side of the chain: sc, hdc, dc, hdc, sc, sl st. (12 sts)

Fasten off, leaving a 6 in (15.2 cm) tail. Each leaf is about 0.6 in (1.5 cm) long. Use the green tail to sew one straight stitch down the center as a vein.

Border

Border gauge: 1 sc per stitch along the top and bottom of each bar, and 1 sc per row-end along the sides. In this cotton, a sc row-end is close to the height of a sc stitch, so this ratio lies flat without ruffling or cupping.

The outline has 128 edge positions:

  • bottom edge 18 + right edge 17 + upper-opening floor 9 + upper-opening side 5 + upper-opening chain 9 + top-bar right edge 6
  • top edge 18 + left edge 17 + lower-opening chain 9 + lower-opening side 5 + lower-opening floor 9 + bottom-bar left edge 6

Each of the 8 outward (convex) corners gets 3 sc in one position, which adds 2 sts. Each of the 4 inward (concave) corners inside the openings gets a sc2tog across two positions, which removes 1 st.

Rnd 1 (RS): Join navy with a standing sc in the first foundation ch at the bottom-left corner. Then work counterclockwise:

  1. Bottom edge (18): 2 more sc in same ch, sc in next 16 ch, 3 sc in last ch. (22 sc)
  2. Right edge, Rows 1–17 (17): sc in next 16 row-ends, 3 sc in Row 17 row-end. (19 sc)
  3. Floor of upper opening (9): sc in next 8 sts. (8 sc)
  4. Inner concave corner: sc2tog over 9th st and Row 18 row-end. (1 st)
  5. Side of upper opening (Rows 19–21): sc in next 3 row-ends. (3 sc)
  6. Inner concave corner: sc2tog over Row 22 row-end and first ch of Row 23 chain. (1 st)
  7. Underside of top bar (remaining 8 ch): sc in next 7 ch, 3 sc in last ch. (10 sc)
  8. Right edge, Rows 23–28 (6): sc in next 5 row-ends, 3 sc in Row 28 row-end. (8 sc)
  9. Top edge (18): sc in next 17 sts, 3 sc in last st. (20 sc)
  10. Left edge, Rows 28–12 (17): sc in next 16 row-ends, 3 sc in Row 12 row-end. (19 sc)
  11. Underside of middle bar (9): sc in next 8 ch. (8 sc)
  12. Inner concave corner: sc2tog over 9th ch and Row 11 row-end. (1 st)
  13. Side of lower opening (Rows 10–8): sc in next 3 row-ends. (3 sc)
  14. Inner concave corner: sc2tog over Row 7 row-end and first unworked st of Row 6. (1 st)
  15. Floor of lower opening (remaining 8 sts): sc in next 7 sts, 3 sc in last st. (10 sc)
  16. Left edge, Rows 6–1 (6): sc in next 6 row-ends. (6 sc)

Sl st to first sc. Fasten off.

Round total: 128 sts worked 1-per-position + 16 extra corner sts − 4 merged by sc2tog = 140 sts.

Why the math works: Every edge position gets exactly one sc, so the border keeps the letter’s measured shape. The 8 convex corners need extra stitches to turn outward without pulling. The 4 concave corners need fewer stitches so the corners of the openings don’t bunch up. The single round adds about 0.125 in (0.3 cm) on every side. That brings 2.5 x 3.5 in (6.4 x 8.9 cm) to 2.75 x 3.75 in (7.0 x 9.5 cm).

Final Blocking

  1. Weave in all tails on the WS, each one into a stripe of its own color. Trim close.
  2. Lay the letter RS up on the blocking mat.
  3. Pin the four outer corners first to 2.75 x 3.75 in (7.0 x 9.5 cm).
  4. Add pins to ease the outer corners and both curled ends into smooth curves. This rounds the S shape.
  5. Pin each opening to 1.25 x 0.625 in (3.2 x 1.6 cm) so the inside edges stay straight.
  6. Mist with water until damp, not soaked. Leave to dry completely.
  7. Block the flowers and leaves flat. Pin each petal tip to keep it pointed.
  8. Sew one flower onto the right end of the top bar, with one leaf tucked above it and one below.
  9. Sew two flowers onto the left end of the bottom bar, slightly overlapping, with three leaves peeking out around them.
  10. Open the jump ring with the two pliers. Thread it through the top border between the 9th and 10th sc of the top edge, add the keyring, and close the jump ring tightly.

Final Quality-Control Checklist

  • Bar rows have 18 sts and stem rows have 9 sts.
  • Chevron peaks line up vertically from bottom to top.
  • 6 navy and 5 cream stripes, with navy at top and bottom.
  • Upper opening on the right, lower opening on the left.
  • Border round totals 140 sts with no gaps at the corners.
  • Finished size is 2.75 x 3.75 in (7.0 x 9.5 cm).
  • Flowers and leaves are sewn on securely, with no loose petals.
  • The jump ring is fully closed with no gap.

Troubleshooting

Chevron points drift sideways: The 3-sc group is off-center. Find the center sc of the 3-sc group below and mark it before each row.

Edges curl or slant: Check that every row starts and ends with sc2tog, and that you are not counting the turning ch.

Openings look lopsided: Count the chain before Rows 12 and 23. It must be exactly 10 ch, and you skip the first ch.

Border ruffles: Your border tension is looser than the body. Use a 2.25 mm hook for the border only.

Border pulls the corners in: Make sure each convex corner got all 3 sc.

Stamens disappear: Wrap the yarn twice around the needle for each French knot.

Care

Hand wash in cool water with mild soap, press out the water in a towel, and dry flat. Do not tumble dry, and keep the gold hardware dry when you can.

Navy canvas bag with crocheted charm featuring blue and cream chevron pattern and delicate flowers on a lakeside dock.

Final Notes

Here is the measurement chain. A gauge of 18 sts x 8 rows = 2.5 in wide x 1 in tall (6.4 x 2.5 cm) gives a body of 2.5 x 3.5 in (6.4 x 8.9 cm). The 140-stitch border adds 0.125 in (0.3 cm) per side, for a finished letter of 2.75 x 3.75 in (7.0 x 9.5 cm). Check your size at each stage and the letter will come out crisp and true.

Happy crocheting!

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