The Sage Blossom Letter V is a small, textured monogram keychain that works as a bag charm, a gift tag, or a personal touch on a backpack zipper. The letter is crocheted in soft sage green, and tidy columns of puff stitches give it a quilted, cushioned look.
A spray of coral flowers, cream bobble buds, and olive-green leaves runs down the left arm. A gold keyring on a short chain hangs from the top of the right arm. The palette is fresh and gentle: sage, coral, cream, and olive.
This pattern uses US crochet terms. The finished letter measures about 4.25 in (10.8 cm) wide and 4.85 in (12.3 cm) tall, including the edging.
The letter is worked flat in rows from the bottom point upward. After a short widening base, the work splits into two arms that slant outward with a simple shift technique. One round of single crochet edging rounds off every edge. Small flowers, buds, and leaves are crocheted separately and sewn on.
Finished Size and Construction
- Finished size: 4.25 in (10.8 cm) wide x 4.85 in (12.3 cm) tall
- Skill level: Easy-intermediate
- Terminology: US crochet terms
- Yarn weight: DK (light worsted, #3)
- Hooks: 3.5 mm (US E-4) for the letter; 3.0 mm for appliqués
- Number of pieces: 1 letter, plus 9 small appliqués (2 flowers, 4 buds, 3 leaves)
- Layout: Single letter; appliqués stacked vertically on the left arm
- Arm width: 7 sts, about 1.25 in (3.2 cm) before edging
- Size before border: 4.0 in (10.2 cm) wide x 4.6 in (11.7 cm) tall
- Border depth: 1 round of sc, about 0.125 in (0.3 cm) on every edge
Materials
Choose a smooth DK cotton or cotton blend. Cotton shows puff stitches clearly and holds its shape on a keychain that gets handled often. Avoid fuzzy or brushed yarns, which blur the texture.
- Sage green (letter): 20 g, about 46 m
- Coral (flowers): 5 g, about 12 m
- Cream (flower centers, buds, French knots): 4 g, about 9 m
- Olive green (leaves, stems): 3 g, about 7 m
All quantities include a small safety margin, so you should have yarn left over.
Tools:
- 3.5 mm (US E-4) crochet hook
- 3.0 mm crochet hook
- Tapestry needle and a sharp embroidery needle
- 1 gold split keyring, 1 in (2.5 cm)
- 1 gold chain, about 1.5 in (3.8 cm) long
- 2 gold jump rings, 6 mm, and two pairs of flat-nose pliers
- Stitch markers, rustproof pins, and a blocking board
- Small amount of fiberfill or yarn scraps (for the buds)
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
Puff stitch (puff): (Yarn over, insert hook in st, yarn over, pull up a loop to the height of an hdc) 3 times, yarn over, pull through all 7 loops on hook. A puff counts as 1 st. Puffs are always worked on WS rows so they pop out on the RS.
Shift row: A RS row that moves the arm outward by 1 st while keeping the count the same. You add 1 st at the outer edge and take away 1 st at the inner edge.
Gauge and Checkpoints
Gauge: 22 sts and 20 rows = 4 in (10.2 cm) in the puff pattern (alternating sc rows and puff rows) with the 3.5 mm hook. That works out to 5.5 sts and 5 rows per inch (2.5 cm).
You can test gauge on the letter itself. Work Rows 1–6, then measure:
- After Row 6: base about 2.5 in (6.4 cm) wide and 1.2 in (3.0 cm) tall
- After Row 22: each arm 1.25 in (3.2 cm) wide; total height 4.4 in (11.2 cm)
- After Row 23: 4.0 in (10.2 cm) across the arm tops, 4.6 in (11.7 cm) tall
- After edging: 4.25 in (10.8 cm) x 4.85 in (12.3 cm)
If your base is wider than 2.5 in (6.4 cm), go down a hook size. If it’s narrower, go up a hook size. Puffs that look flat usually mean you’re pulling up your loops too short. Pull each loop up to hdc height.
Letter Pattern
With sage green and the 3.5 mm hook.
Base (Bottom Point)
Row 1 (RS): Ch 11, sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across, turn. (10 sts)
Row 2 (WS): Ch 1, sc in first st, (puff in next st, sc in next st) 4 times, sc in last st, turn. (10 sts: 4 puffs, 6 sc)
Row 3 (RS): Ch 1, 2 sc in first st, sc in next 8 sts, 2 sc in last st, turn. (12 sts)
Row 4 (WS): Ch 1, sc in first st, (puff, sc) 5 times, sc in last st, turn. (12 sts: 5 puffs, 7 sc)
Row 5 (RS): Ch 1, 2 sc in first st, sc in next 10 sts, 2 sc in last st, turn. (14 sts)
Row 6 (WS): Ch 1, sc in first st, (puff, sc) 6 times, sc in last st. (14 sts: 6 puffs, 8 sc) Do not fasten off.
Checkpoint: the base should measure about 2.5 in (6.4 cm) wide. Place a marker in the 7th and 8th sts of Row 6. That’s where the work splits.
Arm A (Right Arm)
With the RS facing, the first 7 sts of a RS row sit on the right. This arm holds the keyring. (Left-handed crocheters will see it on the left. The letter is symmetrical, so just put the keyring on whichever arm doesn’t have the flowers.)
Row 7 (RS, shift): Ch 1, 2 sc in first st, sc in next 4 sts, sc2tog over the 6th and 7th sts, turn. Leave the remaining 7 sts unworked. (7 sts)
Row 8 (WS): Ch 1, sc in first st, (puff, sc) 3 times, turn. (7 sts: 3 puffs, 4 sc)
Row 9 (RS, plain): Ch 1, sc in each st across, turn. (7 sts)
Row 10 (WS): Repeat Row 8. (7 sts)
Rows 11–22: Repeat Rows 7–10 three more times. Rows 11, 15, and 19 are shift rows. (7 sts in every row)
Row 23 (RS, top): Ch 1, sc2tog, sc in next 3 sts, sc2tog. (5 sts) Fasten off.
Arm A has 4 shift rows (7, 11, 15, 19), so its outer edge moves 4 sts outward, which is about 0.73 in (1.9 cm).
Arm B (Left Arm)
Row 7 (RS, shift): With the RS facing, join sage green in the first unworked st of Row 6 (the marked 8th st). Ch 1, sc2tog over the 8th and 9th sts, sc in next 4 sts, 2 sc in last st, turn. (7 sts)
On this arm, the inner edge is at the start of each RS row. That’s why the decrease comes first and the increase last.
Row 8 (WS): Ch 1, sc in first st, (puff, sc) 3 times, turn. (7 sts)
Row 9 (RS, plain): Ch 1, sc across, turn. (7 sts)
Row 10 (WS): Repeat Row 8. (7 sts)
Rows 11–22: Repeat Rows 7–10 three more times, using the Arm B version of the shift row on Rows 11, 15, and 19. (7 sts in every row)
Row 23 (RS, top): Ch 1, sc2tog, sc in next 3 sts, sc2tog. (5 sts) Fasten off.
Checkpoint: the total width is 14 base sts + 4 sts shifted on each side = 22 sts, or 4.0 in (10.2 cm). The gap between the arm tops is 8 sts, about 1.45 in (3.7 cm). The height is 23 rows, or 4.6 in (11.7 cm).
Weave in all ends on the WS. Then work the border (below) before making the appliqués.
Large Flower (Make 1)
With the 3.0 mm hook.
Rnd 1: With cream, MR, ch 1, 10 sc in ring, sl st to first sc. (10 sts) Fasten off cream.
Rnd 2: Join coral in any st. *(Sc, hdc, dc) in next st, (dc, hdc, sc) in next st; repeat from * 4 more times, sl st to first sc. (30 sts, 5 petals) Fasten off, leaving a 10 in (25.4 cm) tail.
Diameter: about 1.25 in (3.2 cm).
Small Flower (Make 1)
Rnd 1: With cream, MR, ch 1, 5 sc in ring, sl st to first sc. (5 sts) Fasten off cream.
Rnd 2: Join coral. (Sc, hdc, dc, hdc, sc) in each st around, sl st to first sc. (25 sts, 5 petals) Fasten off with a long tail.
Diameter: about 0.9 in (2.3 cm).
With cream, embroider 5 small French knots around the center of each flower, about where the petals meet the cream.
Buds (Make 4)
Rnd 1: With cream, MR, ch 1, 6 sc in ring. (6 sts)
Rnd 2: Sc2tog 3 times. (3 sts)
Tuck in a pinch of fiberfill or a yarn scrap, then fasten off and gather the opening closed. Each bud is about 0.4 in (1.0 cm) across.
Leaves (Make 3)
With olive green, ch 6. Starting in the 2nd ch from hook: sc, hdc, dc, hdc, 3 sc in last ch. Then working along the other side of the chain: hdc, dc, hdc, sc, sl st to the first sc. (11 sts plus the sl st)
Each leaf is about 0.8 in (2.0 cm) long. Fasten off with a long tail.
Border
Border gauge: 1 sc per stitch along stitch edges and 1 sc per row end along the sides. Corners and tops get extra sc to round them off.
Edging Round (RS): With the RS facing and the 3.5 mm hook, join sage green at one bottom corner. Ch 1 and work around in this order:
- Bottom (foundation chain, 10 loops): 3 sc in first ch, sc in next 8 ch, 3 sc in last ch. (14 sc)
- First outer side (Rows 1–23 row ends): 1 sc in each row end. (23 sc)
- First arm top (Row 23, 5 sts): 2 sc in first st, sc in next 3 sts, 2 sc in last st. (7 sc)
- First inner edge (Rows 23–8 row ends): 1 sc in each row end. (16 sc)
- Valley: Sc2tog, working the first leg in the Row 7 row end of this arm and the second leg in the Row 7 row end of the other arm. (1 st)
- Second inner edge (Rows 8–23 row ends): 1 sc in each row end. (16 sc)
- Second arm top: 2 sc in first st, sc in next 3 sts, 2 sc in last st. (7 sc)
- Second outer side (Rows 23–1 row ends): 1 sc in each row end. (23 sc)
Sl st to the first sc. Total: 107 sts. Fasten off and weave in the end.
Why the math works: Each outer side has 23 rows, so it gets 23 sc. Each inner edge runs only from the split, giving 16 rows above Row 7 plus 1 shared sc2tog at the valley, so 16 + 1 + 16 = 33. Both tops grow from 5 to 7 sts to round the corners. The bottom grows from 10 to 14 for the same reason. That gives 14 + 23 + 7 + 33 + 7 + 23 = 107. A single sc round adds about 0.125 in (0.3 cm) to every edge, so 4.0 in (10.2 cm) becomes 4.25 in (10.8 cm) and 4.6 in (11.7 cm) becomes 4.85 in (12.3 cm).
Final Blocking
- Pin the letter RS up on a blocking board. Use the grid to check that it’s 4.25 in (10.8 cm) wide and 4.85 in (12.3 cm) tall.
- Pin each arm straight, with both arm tops level. Space the pins every 0.75 in (1.9 cm) along the edges.
- Mist lightly with water. Gently pat the puffs from the back so they stay raised.
- Let it dry completely, then remove the pins.
- Block the flowers and leaves flat at the same time, using one pin at each leaf tip.
- Sew the appliqués: On the left arm, from top to bottom, place 2 buds, 1 leaf, the large flower, 2 leaves, the small flower, and 2 buds. Embroider short olive stems in backstitch from the top buds down to the first leaf. Sew each piece down through its center and outer edges, catching only the front layer of stitches.
- Attach the hardware: Open a jump ring and slip it through the edging round at the center top of the right arm. Close it, and link it to one end of the chain. Join the keyring to the other end of the chain with the second jump ring.
Final Quality-Control Checklist
- Both arms are 7 sts wide in every row from Row 7 to Row 22.
- Each arm has exactly 4 shift rows.
- The puffs all face the RS, in neat columns.
- The edging round has 107 sts and lies flat without ruffling.
- The finished size is 4.25 in (10.8 cm) x 4.85 in (12.3 cm).
- The flowers have 5 even petals and cream French knots at the center.
- The appliqués are sewn securely and don’t show through on the back.
- The jump rings are fully closed with no gap.
Troubleshooting
The arms lean inward or stay straight: Check that each shift row has its increase on the outer edge and its decrease on the inner edge.
One arm is wider than the other: Count each row. Every arm row should have exactly 7 sts. A missed sc2tog adds a stitch.
The puffs show on the wrong side: Work puffs only on WS rows.
The edging ruffles: Your edging tension is loose. Redo it with the 3.0 mm hook.
The edging cups or pulls: Add 1 extra sc at each arm top. Don’t add stitches along the sides.
The valley gapes: Pull the valley sc2tog snug, then close any remaining gap with a stitch of matching yarn on the WS.
The petals curl: Re-block the flower with a pin in each petal.
The letter hangs crooked: Move the jump ring so it sits at the exact center of the arm top.
Care
Hand wash in cool water with mild soap, press out the water in a towel, and dry flat. Keep the metal hardware dry to protect its finish.
Final Notes
Here’s the full measurement chain. The 2.5 in (6.4 cm) base after Row 6 leads to two 1.25 in (3.2 cm) arms that shift outward to 4.0 in (10.2 cm) across and 4.6 in (11.7 cm) tall. Then the 107-st edging takes the letter to its finished 4.25 in (10.8 cm) by 4.85 in (12.3 cm). Check each stage as you go and the flowers will fit perfectly on top.
Happy crocheting!