This keychain is a flat, sturdy letter R in soft sage green. A small bouquet climbs up its left stem: a cream five-petal flower with a yellow center, a terracotta flower dotted with cream French knots, two round cream buds, and four leaf-green leaves. A gold split ring and short chain turn it into a bag charm or key fob.
The style is cottage-garden and simple. Dense single crochet gives the letter a firm, tidy fabric. A slip stitch outline around the outside and the inner opening gives a crisp, raised edge so the letter reads clearly from a distance.
The pattern uses US crochet terms. The finished letter is 3.5 in (8.9 cm) wide and 4.5 in (11.4 cm) tall, not counting the hardware.
You work the letter flat in rows from the bottom up. The stem and the diagonal leg are made separately and joined in one row. Then you build the bowl on top, splitting it for a few rows to leave the inner opening. A two-round edging finishes the outline. The flowers, buds and leaves are made separately and sewn on.
Finished Size and Construction
- Finished size: 3.5 in (8.9 cm) wide x 4.5 in (11.4 cm) tall
- Skill level: Easy-intermediate
- Terminology: US crochet terms
- Yarn weight: DK (light worsted, #3) cotton
- Hook: 3.5 mm (E-4)
- Number of pieces: 1 letter plus 8 small appliqués (2 flowers, 2 buds, 4 leaves)
- Layout: Single piece, with the appliqués stacked down the left stem
- Letter size before border: 3 in (7.6 cm) wide x 4 in (10.2 cm) tall (15 stitches x 24 rows)
- Border depth: about 0.25 in (0.6 cm) on every outer edge
Materials
Use a smooth mercerized or combed cotton in DK weight. Cotton holds the letter shape, shows the stitches clearly, and stands up to life on a keyring. The amounts below assume a yarn of about 120 m per 50 g.
- Sage green (letter): 10 g, about 24 m
- Leaf green (leaves): 3 g, about 7 m
- Cream (flower, buds, French knots): 3 g, about 7 m
- Terracotta (flower): 2 g, about 5 m
- Yellow (flower center): 1 g, about 2 m
All amounts include extra for the gauge swatch and weaving in ends.
Tools:
- 3.5 mm (E-4) crochet hook
- Tapestry needle
- 1 in (2.5 cm) gold split ring with a short gold chain
- 1 small gold jump ring, about 6 mm
- 2 pairs of flat-nose pliers
- Stitch markers
- Blocking mat and rustproof pins
- Spray bottle
Abbreviations (US Terms)
- ch – chain
- sl st – slip stitch
- sc – single crochet
- hdc – half double crochet
- dc – double crochet
- sc2tog – single crochet 2 together
- st(s) – stitch(es)
- MR – magic ring
- RS / WS – right side / wrong side
- rep – repeat
Special stitch – 5-dc cluster: (Yarn over, insert hook into the ring, pull up a loop, yarn over, draw through 2 loops) 5 times. Yarn over and draw through all 6 loops on the hook.
Pattern notes: The ch 1 at the start of each row does not count as a stitch. Columns (cols) are counted from the left with the RS facing you, so col 1 is the outer edge of the stem and col 15 is the outer edge of the bowl. RS rows are worked from right to left.
Gauge and Checkpoints
Gauge: 5 sc and 6 rows = 1 in (2.5 cm) in sc rows.
Make a test swatch of 10 sc x 12 rows. It should measure 2 in (5.1 cm) square. The whole letter is built on this ratio, so check it before you start.
Checkpoints:
- Stem after Row 11: 1 in (2.5 cm) wide x about 1.8 in (4.6 cm) tall
- Leg after Row 11: 1 in (2.5 cm) wide
- Letter after Row 15: 3 in (7.6 cm) wide x 2.5 in (6.4 cm) tall
- Letter after Row 24: 3 in (7.6 cm) wide x 4 in (10.2 cm) tall
- After border: 3.5 in (8.9 cm) x 4.5 in (11.4 cm)
If your swatch is too big, change to a 3.25 mm hook. If it is too small, change to a 3.75 mm hook. Firm, dense fabric matters more than exact size here, so lean toward a tighter tension.
Letter R
Stem (Rows 1–11)
With sage green, ch 6.
Row 1 (WS): Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across, turn. (5 sts)
Rows 2–11: Ch 1, sc in each st across, turn. (5 sts)
Fasten off and set aside. The stem fills cols 1–5.
Leg (Rows 1–11)
The leg starts at cols 11–15. It moves 1 column toward the stem on every shift row, 4 columns in total.
With sage green, ch 6.
Row 1 (WS): Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across, turn. (5 sts)
Row 2 (RS, shift row): Ch 1, sc2tog, sc in next 2 sts, 2 sc in last st, turn. (5 sts)
Row 3: Ch 1, sc in each st across, turn. (5 sts)
Rows 4–9: Rep Rows 2–3 three times. (5 sts)
Each shift row decreases on the outer right edge and increases on the inner left edge. After Row 8, the leg sits at cols 7–11.
Rows 10–11: Ch 1, sc in each st across, turn. (5 sts)
Do not fasten off. Your working loop is at col 11.
Joining Row and Middle Bar (Rows 12–15)
Lay the stem to the left of the leg, with both foundation chains at the bottom. At the top there is a 1-column gap (col 6) between them. At the bottom the gap is 5 columns.
Row 12 (RS): Ch 1, sc in each of 5 leg sts, ch 1, sc in each of 5 stem sts, turn. (11 sts: 10 sc + 1 ch)
Row 13 (WS): Ch 1, sc in each of 10 sc and in the ch, ch 5, turn. (11 sc + 5 ch)
Row 14 (RS): Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in next 3 ch, then sc in each of 11 sts, turn. (15 sts: 11 worked into existing sts + 4 new sts from the chain)
Row 15 (WS): Ch 1, sc in each st across, turn. (15 sts)
Checkpoint: 3 in (7.6 cm) wide.
Bowl Sides and Opening (Rows 16–20)
Right side of bowl:
Row 16 (RS): Ch 1, sc in first 5 sts (cols 15–11), turn. Leave the other 10 sts unworked. (5 sts)
Rows 17–20: Ch 1, sc in each st across, turn. (5 sts)
Fasten off.
Left side of bowl:
Row 16 (RS): With RS facing, join sage green with a sl st in col 5 of Row 15. Ch 1, sc in same st and next 4 sts (cols 5–1), turn. (5 sts)
Rows 17–20: Ch 1, sc in each st across, turn. (5 sts)
Do not fasten off. Cols 6–10 of Row 15 stay unworked and form the bottom of the opening.
Top of Bowl (Rows 21–24)
Row 21 (WS): Ch 1, sc in each of the 5 left-side sts, ch 5, then sc in each of the 5 sts of Row 20 on the right side, turn. (15 sts: 10 sc + 5 ch)
Row 22 (RS): Ch 1, sc in each st and ch across, turn. (15 sts)
Row 23 (WS): Ch 1, sc in next 13 sts, sc2tog, turn. (14 sts)
Row 24 (RS): Ch 1, sc2tog, sc in next 12 sts. (13 sts)
The two decreases round off the top right of the bowl. The opening is 1 in (2.5 cm) wide x about 0.8 in (2.0 cm) tall. Do not fasten off. Your loop is at the top-left corner, ready for the border.
Border
Border gauge: Work 1 sc in each stitch along top and bottom edges and 1 sc in each row-end along the sides. At each corner, work 3 sc in one stitch: the stitch’s own sc plus 2 extra.
Round 1 (outer edge)
Ch 1 and rotate to work down the left side.
- Left side of stem: Sc in each of 24 row-ends. (24)
- Stem bottom: Working in the foundation ch, 3 sc in first st (corner), sc in next 3, 3 sc in last st (corner). (5 + 4 extra = 9)
- Inner stem edge: Sc in each of 11 row-ends going up. (11)
- Gap top: Sc in the underside of the Row 12 ch-1. (1)
- Inner leg edge: Sc in each of 11 row-ends going down. (11)
- Leg bottom: 3 sc in first st (corner), sc in next 3, 3 sc in last st (corner). (5 + 4 = 9)
- Outer leg edge: Sc in each of 11 row-ends going up. (11)
- Under the bowl: Sc in each of the 2 row-ends of Rows 12–13. (2)
- Bowl bottom: Working in the underside of the 4 Row 14 chains, sc in first 3, 3 sc in last (corner). (4 + 2 = 6)
- Right side: Sc in each of 11 row-ends of Rows 14–24. (11)
- Top: Sc in each of 13 sts of Row 24, working 3 sc in the last st (corner). (13 + 2 = 15)
Join with a sl st to the first sc. (110 sts)
Check: 98 edge stitches and row-ends worked once each, plus 2 extra at each of 6 corners (12), equals 110.
Round 2 (outline)
Ch 1, then sl st loosely in the back loop of each sc around. (110 sl sts) Join and fasten off.
Opening Edging
With RS facing, join sage green at any corner of the opening. Work 1 loose round of sl sts:
- 5 into the free loops of Row 15 (cols 6–10)
- 5 into the row-ends of the right bowl side
- 5 into the underside of the Row 21 chain
- 5 into the row-ends of the left side
(20 sl sts) Join and fasten off.
Why the math works: Every outer edge is worked one stitch per stitch or row-end, so the border is the same depth all the way around and doesn’t pull the letter out of shape. At 6 rows per inch, the sides get slightly more sc per inch than the top and bottom. That keeps the side edges firm, and the slip stitch round smooths them into a clean line. The 3-sc corners give just enough ease for the 6 sharp corners to stay square, while the top right stays rounded.
Flowers, Buds and Leaves
Cream Flower (make 1)
Rnd 1: With yellow, MR, 10 sc in ring, join with sl st to first sc. (10 sts) Fasten off.
Rnd 2: Join cream with a sl st in any sc. *Ch 2, 2 dc in same st, 2 dc in next st, ch 2, sl st in same st, sl st in next st; rep from * 4 more times. Work the final sl st into the joining st. (5 petals, 4 dc each)
Fasten off. Size: about 1.25 in (3.2 cm) across.
Terracotta Flower (make 1)
Rnd 1: With terracotta, MR, 10 sc in ring, join. (10 sts) Do not fasten off.
Rnd 2: Sl st in next st, then work as Rnd 2 of the cream flower. (5 petals)
Fasten off. With cream, embroider 5 small French knots in the center. Size: about 1.25 in (3.2 cm).
Buds (make 2)
With cream, MR, ch 2, 5-dc cluster in ring, ch 1, pull the ring tight. Fasten off, leaving a tail. Size: about 0.4 in (1.0 cm).
Leaves (make 4)
With leaf green, ch 7.
Rnd 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook, hdc in next ch, dc in next 2 ch, hdc in next ch, sc in last ch, ch 1. Rotate and work along the underside of the chain: sc in first ch, hdc in next ch, dc in next 2 ch, hdc in next ch, sc in last ch. Join with a sl st to the first sc. (12 sts + 1 ch tip)
Fasten off, leaving a long tail. Size: about 1.1 in (2.8 cm) long x 0.5 in (1.3 cm) wide.
Placement
Pin the appliqués to the RS of the stem so they overhang the left edge by about 0.25 in (0.6 cm):
- Two buds side by side near the top of the stem, around Rows 19–22.
- One leaf tucked to the left of the buds.
- The cream flower centered on the stem at the middle bar, around Rows 12–16.
- One leaf peeking out between the two flowers on the right.
- The terracotta flower just below, around Rows 6–10.
- Two leaves under the terracotta flower, angled left and right.
Sew on the leaves first, then the flowers over them, then the buds. Use small stitches so nothing shows on the back. To attach the hardware, put the jump ring through the border above col 3, then link it to the chain and split ring.
Final Blocking
- Weave in all ends on the WS.
- Mist the letter evenly until it is damp, not soaked.
- Pin it RS up on the mat to 3.5 in (8.9 cm) x 4.5 in (11.4 cm).
- Pin the 6 sharp corners first, then the rounded top right.
- Ease the opening to about 1 in (2.5 cm) x 0.8 in (2.0 cm).
- Pin each flower petal flat. Leave the buds round.
- Let it dry completely, at least 12 hours.
Final Quality-Control Checklist
- The letter measures 3.5 in (8.9 cm) x 4.5 in (11.4 cm).
- Border Round 1 has 110 sts and the opening edging has 20.
- The leg slants smoothly with no visible steps.
- The opening is open and square.
- Each flower has 5 even petals.
- All 4 leaves and 2 buds are sewn on securely.
- No ends show on the RS.
- The jump ring is fully closed.
Troubleshooting
Leg looks stepped: Work the sc2tog and the increase snugly, then block the diagonal straight.
Letter is wider than 3 in (7.6 cm) after Row 15: Your stitches are too loose. Restart with a smaller hook.
Border ruffles: Recount Round 1. It should have exactly 110 sts.
Border cups: Work Round 2 more loosely, or use a hook one size larger.
Opening closes up: Work the opening edging sl sts more loosely.
Petals curl: Pin them flat while damp.
Care
Remove the metal ring first. Hand wash in cool water with mild soap, press the water out in a towel, and dry flat.
Final Notes
The whole design depends on one chain of measurements. A gauge of 5 sc x 6 rows per 1 in (2.5 cm) gives a 15-stitch x 24-row letter of 3 in (7.6 cm) x 4 in (10.2 cm). A 110-stitch border, 0.25 in (0.6 cm) deep, brings it to 3.5 in (8.9 cm) x 4.5 in (11.4 cm). Check your swatch and count at each checkpoint, and the bouquet will sit neatly on its letter.
Happy crocheting!