The Buttercup Bloom Letter C Keychain is a soft, flat initial in pale butter yellow with a small spring bouquet on its lower curve. Three five-petal flowers in salmon pink, white and lilac sit in a tight cluster, with four sage-green leaves tucked behind them.
You work the letter in curved rows of double crochet that follow the shape of the C, so the stitch texture flows around the curve. One round of single crochet outlines the whole letter and rounds off both ends. A gold split ring on a short chain turns it into a bag charm or key fob.
This pattern uses US crochet terms. The finished keychain measures 4.5 in (11.4 cm) tall and 3.8 in (9.7 cm) wide, not counting the hardware. The band of the letter is 1.4 in (3.6 cm) wide.
The construction is simple. You chain along the inner edge of the C and work three rows outward. Increases in those rows make the strip curl into shape, and then you add a single crochet border. The flowers and leaves are made separately and sewn on, and the hardware goes on last.
Finished Size and Construction
- Finished size: 4.5 in (11.4 cm) tall x 3.8 in (9.7 cm) wide
- Skill level: Easy to Intermediate
- Terminology: US crochet terms
- Yarn weight: DK (light worsted, weight 3), cotton or cotton blend
- Hook: 3.5 mm (E-4)
- Number of pieces: 1 letter body, 3 flowers and 4 leaves, assembled into one keychain
- Layout: a single letter with an appliqué cluster on the lower-left curve
- Letter size before border: 4.1 in (10.4 cm) tall x 3.5 in (8.9 cm) wide, band 1.0 in (2.5 cm) wide
- Border depth: 0.2 in (0.5 cm) on every edge
- Flower size: 1.1 in (2.8 cm) across
- Leaf size: 1.0 in (2.5 cm) long
Materials
Choose a smooth cotton in DK weight, either mercerized or matte. Cotton holds its shape well and shows the stitch texture clearly, which matters on a small, flat piece. Avoid fuzzy or very stretchy acrylics, because they blur the outline and can stretch on a key ring.
Yarn:
- Pale butter yellow (letter): 10 g / 25 m
- Salmon pink (flower 1): 3 g / 8 m
- White (flower 2): 3 g / 8 m
- Lilac (flower 3): 3 g / 8 m
- Cream (centers of the pink and lilac flowers): 1 g / 3 m
- Golden yellow (center of the white flower): 1 g / 3 m
- Sage green (leaves): 3 g / 8 m
Tools:
- 3.5 mm (E-4) crochet hook
- Tapestry needle
- Scissors
- Stitch markers (2)
- Rustproof pins and a blocking mat
- Gold split key ring, 1 in (2.5 cm), with a short chain about 1.25 in (3.2 cm) long
- Gold jump ring, 6 mm, and 2 pairs of flat-nose pliers
- Optional: fabric stiffener spray
The yarn quantities include a small margin for swatching and sewing tails.
Abbreviations (US Terms)
- ch: chain
- sl st: slip stitch
- sc: single crochet
- hdc: half double crochet
- dc: double crochet
- sc2tog: single crochet 2 together
- MR: magic ring
- st(s): stitch(es)
- RS / WS: right side / wrong side
- [ ]: repeat the bracketed section the stated number of times
Special stitch (sc2tog): Insert the hook in the next st, yarn over and pull up a loop. Insert the hook in the following st, yarn over and pull up a loop. Yarn over and pull through all 3 loops on the hook. This decreases 1 stitch.
Gauge and Checkpoints
Gauge: 9 dc and 5 dc rows = 2 in (5.1 cm) with a 3.5 mm hook. That equals 4.5 sts and 2.5 rows per inch.
The whole letter is small, so the letter body serves as your gauge swatch. Make it first, measure it at each checkpoint below, and adjust before you make the flowers.
- After Row 1: the strip is 0.2 in (0.5 cm) tall and about 5.3 in (13.5 cm) long when held straight.
- After Row 2: the band is 0.6 in (1.5 cm) wide and already curves gently.
- After Row 3: the band is 1.0 in (2.5 cm) wide and the strip closes into a C, 4.1 in (10.4 cm) tall x 3.5 in (8.9 cm) wide.
- After the border: the letter is 4.5 in (11.4 cm) tall x 3.8 in (9.7 cm) wide, with a 1.4 in (3.6 cm) band.
If the piece is too big: switch to a 3.25 mm (D-3) hook.
If the piece is too small: switch to a 3.75 mm (F-5) hook.
If the band is the right width but the C does not close enough, your increases are too loose, so tighten the 2-dc increase stitches. If the C closes too far and cups, work the increases a little looser or block more firmly.
Letter C Body
The foundation chain becomes the inner edge of the C. Each row is worked outward. The increases make the outer edge longer than the inner edge, and that difference curls the strip. Rows 2 and 3 begin and end with hdc so the row ends are lower, which helps round off both ends of the letter.
With pale butter yellow:
Foundation: Ch 25.
Row 1 (WS): Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across, turn. (24 sc)
The 24 chains you worked into form the inner edge. Place a marker in the first ch of the foundation (the one at the end where Row 1 finished) so you can find it during the border.
Row 2 (RS): Ch 2 (does not count as a st), hdc in first st, 2 dc in next st, [dc in next 3 sts, 2 dc in next st] 5 times, dc in next st, hdc in last st, turn. (30 sts: 2 hdc + 28 dc)
Check: 24 sts worked + 6 increases = 30.
Row 3 (WS): Ch 2 (does not count as a st), hdc in first st, 2 dc in next st, [dc in next 2 sts, 2 dc in next st] 9 times, hdc in last st. (40 sts: 2 hdc + 38 dc)
Check: 30 sts worked + 10 increases = 40.
Do not fasten off. Lay the piece flat. It should form an open C, with the opening taking up roughly a quarter of a circle. Measure it against the Row 3 checkpoint.
Border
Border gauge: One round of sc adds 0.2 in (0.5 cm) to every edge. Along the curved edges, aim for about 4.5 sc per inch, matching the body gauge.
The border is one round worked all the way around the letter: the outer edge, end B, the inner edge and then end A. Each corner group below is included in that edge’s count, so no corner is counted twice.
Border Round (RS): Ch 1, turn.
- Outer edge (Row 3 sts): 3 sc in first st, [sc in next 5 sts, 2 sc in next st] 6 times, sc in next 2 sts, 3 sc in last st. (50 sc) This is 40 sts worked once each, plus 6 increases, plus 4 extra corner sts.
- End B (row ends): 2 sc in the side of the Row 2 end st, 1 sc in the side of the Row 1 end st. (3 sc)
- Inner edge (opposite side of the foundation ch): 2 sc in the marked ch, sc in next 6 ch, sc2tog, sc in next 6 ch, sc2tog, sc in next 6 ch, 2 sc in last ch. (24 sts) This is 24 ch worked once each, minus 2 decreases, plus 2 extra corner sts.
- End A (row ends): 1 sc in the side of the Row 1 end st, 2 sc in the side of the Row 2 end st. (3 sc)
Sl st to first sc to join. (80 sts total: 50 + 3 + 24 + 3)
Fasten off, leaving a 6 in (15.2 cm) tail. Weave in all ends on the WS.
Why the math works: The outer edge sits farthest from the center of the curve, so it needs the most length. Six spaced increases plus the corner groups make it long enough for the larger radius. The inner edge is the shortest, so 2 sc2tog keep it from rippling, while its 2-sc corner groups still let the ends turn smoothly. At each end, 3 sc along the row ends plus the corner groups on both sides form a smooth half-circle, which gives the letter its fully rounded tips.
Flowers (make 3)
Each flower has a center in a contrasting color. Make one flower in each of these combinations:
- Flower 1: cream center, salmon pink petals
- Flower 2: golden yellow center, white petals
- Flower 3: cream center, lilac petals
Round 1 (center color): MR, ch 1, 5 sc in ring, pull ring tight, sl st to first sc. (5 sc) Fasten off. The center measures about 0.3 in (0.8 cm).
Round 2 (petal color): Join petal color in any st, ch 1, 2 sc in each st around, sl st to first sc. (10 sc)
Round 3 (petals): [(hdc, 2 dc, hdc) in next st, sl st in next st] 5 times. The last sl st lands in the first st of the round. (5 petals, 25 sts: 20 petal sts + 5 sl st)
Fasten off, leaving a 10 in (25.4 cm) tail for sewing. Weave in the center-color tail on the WS. Each flower measures 1.1 in (2.8 cm) across.
Leaves (make 4)
With sage green:
Foundation: Ch 8.
Leaf: Sc in 2nd ch from hook, hdc in next ch, dc in next 2 ch, hdc in next ch, sc in next ch, 3 sc in last ch (this is the base). Rotate and work along the opposite side of the chain: sc in next ch, hdc in next ch, dc in next 2 ch, hdc in next ch, sc in next ch. At the tip, work (sl st, ch 2, sl st). (15 sts + pointed tip)
Fasten off, leaving an 8 in (20.3 cm) tail. Each leaf is 1.0 in (2.5 cm) long. If you like, use the tail to backstitch a center vein before sewing.
Appliqué Assembly
Lay the letter RS up, with the opening of the C facing right.
- Pink flower: Place it on the left curve, about one-third of the way up from the bottom, slightly overlapping the outer border.
- White flower: Place it just below and slightly to the right of the pink flower, overlapping the pink flower’s lower petals.
- Lilac flower: Place it to the right of the white flower on the bottom curve, touching the white petals.
- Leaves: Tuck one leaf behind the pink flower pointing up and to the left. Place one pointing straight left. Place one behind the white flower pointing down and to the left. Place the last one below the white and lilac flowers, pointing down.
Pin everything in place, then check that the outline of the letter still reads clearly. Sew the leaves first, with small stitches through the base half only, so the tips stay free. Then sew each flower with a few stitches around the center and a tack at the base of each petal, leaving the petal tips loose. Sew the white flower last so it sits on top of the pink one. Keep your stitches from showing on the back.
Hardware
Open the 6 mm jump ring sideways with the two pliers. Pass it through the border at the very tip of the upper end of the C, catching 2 border sts so it can’t pull out. Slide on the last link of the chain and close the jump ring fully. The split ring should already be on the other end of the chain.
Final Blocking
- Lightly mist the letter body with water, or wet it and press the excess water out in a towel.
- Lay it RS up on the blocking mat.
- Pin the outer curve to 4.5 in (11.4 cm) tall and 3.8 in (9.7 cm) wide.
- Pin the inner curve so the band is an even 1.4 in (3.6 cm) all the way around.
- Place 2 or 3 pins around each rounded end to set a smooth half-circle.
- Don’t pin through the flowers. Shape the petals gently with your fingers instead.
- Optional: mist with fabric stiffener for a firmer charm.
- Let it dry completely before removing the pins.
Final Quality-Control Checklist
- The letter is 4.5 in (11.4 cm) tall x 3.8 in (9.7 cm) wide.
- The band is an even 1.4 in (3.6 cm) wide.
- The border round has 80 sts and lies flat with no ripples.
- Both ends are smoothly rounded.
- Each of the three flowers has 5 even petals and a visible center.
- Four leaf tips peek out around the cluster.
- No sewing stitches show on the back.
- The jump ring is fully closed and anchored through 2 border sts.
Troubleshooting
The strip stays straight instead of curving. Your increases may be too tight. Re-check the counts for Row 2 (30 sts) and Row 3 (40 sts).
The C curls into a full ring. Your increases are too loose or your hook is too large. Go down a hook size.
The outer border ruffles. Leave out one of the 6 border increases and space the rest evenly.
The inner edge puckers. Replace one sc2tog with 2 sc.
The ends look square. Make sure Rows 2 and 3 start and end with hdc, and block the ends around pins.
The flowers cup forward. Steam them lightly and flatten them before sewing.
Care
Hand wash in cool water with mild soap, press the water out in a towel and dry flat. If you can, remove the metal hardware before washing.
Final Notes
The measurement chain is short and easy to track. The Row 1 strip is 0.2 in (0.5 cm) tall, the band is 0.6 in (1.5 cm) wide after Row 2 and 1.0 in (2.5 cm) after Row 3, and it reaches 1.4 in (3.6 cm) after the border. The letter grows from 4.1 in x 3.5 in (10.4 cm x 8.9 cm) before the border to 4.5 in x 3.8 in (11.4 cm x 9.7 cm) finished. The rows have 24, 30 and 40 sts and the border has 80 sts, and each count follows from the one before it. Add three bright flowers and four leaves, clip on the ring, and your initial is ready to carry.
Happy crocheting!