The Bloom Initial Letter D Keychain is a small, personal accessory: a cream monogram covered with a little garden of crocheted flowers. It hangs from a gold chain and split ring, so it works on a handbag, a key set or a gift wrap.
The letter is soft cream, and the flowers come in pink, lavender and white. They have pale yellow and mustard centers, with sage-green leaves and tiny embroidered pink buds. The look is cottage-floral, neat and modern. All instructions use US crochet terms.
The finished letter measures 3.0 in (7.6 cm) wide by 4.2 in (10.7 cm) tall, not counting the hardware.
You work the letter in single crochet rows from the bottom up. The center hole forms by working the bowl and the stem as separate columns, then bridging them with a chain. One round of edging goes around the outside and another around the hole. The flowers and leaves are made separately, sewn on, and finished with a little embroidery.
Finished Size and Construction
- Finished size: 3.0 in × 4.2 in (7.6 cm × 10.7 cm)
- Skill level: Easy–Intermediate
- Terminology: US crochet terms
- Yarn weight: DK (3) cotton for the letter; sport/fingering (2/1) cotton for the flowers
- Hook: 3.0 mm for the letter; 2.0 mm for the flowers
- Number of pieces: 1 letter plus 9 small appliqués (3 flowers, 6 leaves)
- Layout: single letter, worked flat; no joining
- Letter size before border: 2.8 in × 4.0 in (7.1 cm × 10.2 cm)
- Border depth: 0.1 in (0.3 cm) per side
Materials
Use a smooth mercerized cotton. It shows the stitches clearly and holds its shape on a keychain that gets handled every day. Choose a tight, low-fuzz yarn for the letter so the edges stay crisp.
Yarn:
– Cream, DK cotton: 10 g / 22 m
– Pink, sport cotton: 2 g / 8 m
– Lavender, sport cotton: 2 g / 8 m
– White, sport cotton: 2 g / 7 m
– Mustard, sport cotton: 1 g / 3 m
– Pale yellow, sport cotton: 1 g / 3 m
– Sage green, sport cotton: 3 g / 10 m
All quantities include about a 20% margin for your gauge swatch and sewing tails.
Tools:
– 3.0 mm and 2.0 mm crochet hooks
– Tapestry needle and a sharp embroidery needle
– 2 locking stitch markers
– Gold split ring, 1 in (2.5 cm)
– Gold chain, about 1 in (2.5 cm), 4–5 links
– 2 gold jump rings, about 0.3 in (0.8 cm)
– 2 pairs of flat-nose pliers
– Blocking board, rust-proof pins, spray bottle
– Ruler or tape measure
Abbreviations (US Terms)
- ch – chain
- sl st – slip stitch
- sc – single crochet
- hdc – half double crochet
- dc – double crochet
- sc2tog – single crochet 2 together (1 decrease)
- sc3tog – single crochet 3 together (2 decreases)
- MR – magic ring
- st(s) – stitch(es)
- sp – space
- RS / WS – right side / wrong side
Special stitch: back-post sl st (BPsl st). Insert the hook from the back around the post of the stitch you’re told to use, yarn over, and pull through the post and the loop on your hook.
Row direction: Right-handed crocheters work RS rows right to left, so odd (RS) rows start at the bowl edge and even (WS) rows end there. Left-handed crocheters can follow the same text; the letter will come out mirrored until you flip it to the RS.
Gauge and Checkpoints
Letter gauge (3.0 mm hook, DK cotton, sc): 5 sts and 6 rows = 1 in (2.5 cm).
Before you start the letter, make a test swatch: ch 11 and work 12 rows of 10 sc. It should measure 2 in × 2 in (5.1 cm × 5.1 cm).
Checkpoints on the letter:
– After Row 6: 2.8 in (7.1 cm) wide, 1.0 in (2.5 cm) tall.
– After Row 18: 3.0 in (7.6 cm) tall. The hole is 0.8 in (2.0 cm) wide and 2.0 in (5.1 cm) tall.
– After Row 24: 2.8 in × 4.0 in (7.1 cm × 10.2 cm).
– After the border: 3.0 in × 4.2 in (7.6 cm × 10.7 cm).
If your piece is too big, go down 0.25 mm in hook size. If it is too small, go up 0.25 mm. If only your row height is off, check how high you pull up each loop rather than changing hooks; row gauge controls the letter’s height.
Letter Body
Use cream and the 3.0 mm hook. Ch 1 at the start of a row never counts as a stitch.
Bottom Section
Foundation: Ch 11.
Row 1 (RS): Sc in the 2nd ch from the hook and in each ch across. Turn. (10 sc)
Row 2 (WS): Ch 1, sc in the next 9 sts, 3 sc in the last st. Turn. (12 sc)
Row 3: Ch 1, 2 sc in the first st, sc in the next 11 sts. Turn. (13 sc)
Row 4: Ch 1, sc in the next 12 sts, 2 sc in the last st. Turn. (14 sc)
Rows 5–6: Ch 1, sc in each st across. Turn. (14 sc)
The bowl edge now has a stepped lower curve. The stem edge stays straight.
Bowl Column (Right Side of the Hole)
Row 7 (RS): Ch 1, sc in the first 5 sts. Leave the remaining 9 sts unworked. Turn. (5 sc)
Row 8 (WS): Ch 1, sc2tog, sc in the next 3 sts. Turn. (4 sc)
Rows 9–17: Ch 1, sc in each st across. Turn. (4 sc each, 9 rows)
Row 18 (WS): Ch 1, 2 sc in the first st, sc in the next 3 sts. (5 sc)
Do not fasten off. Put the live loop on a locking stitch marker. Row 18 ends at the outer bowl edge.
The decrease in Row 8 and the increase in Row 18 round off the right side of the hole into a D shape.
Stem Column (Left Side of the Hole)
Row 7 (RS): With the RS facing, go back to Row 6. Skip the next 4 unworked sts after the bowl column; these form the bottom of the hole. Join cream in the next st, ch 1, and sc in that st and the next 4 sts. Turn. (5 sc)
Rows 8–18: Ch 1, sc in each st across. Turn. (5 sc each)
Fasten off after Row 18. The stem column is 12 rows tall, the same as the bowl column.
Top Section
Row 19 (RS): Put the bowl column’s live loop back on the hook. Ch 1, sc in each of the 5 bowl sts, ch 4, then sc in each of the 5 stem sts. Turn. (10 sc + 4 ch = 14 sts)
Row 20 (WS): Ch 1, sc in the 5 stem sts, sc in each of the 4 chs, sc in the 5 bowl sts. Turn. (14 sc)
Row 21: Ch 1, sc in each st across. Turn. (14 sc)
Row 22: Ch 1, sc in the next 12 sts, sc2tog. Turn. (13 sc)
Row 23: Ch 1, sc2tog, sc in the next 11 sts. Turn. (12 sc)
Row 24: Ch 1, sc in the next 9 sts, sc3tog. (10 sc)
Do not fasten off; go straight on to the border. Rows 19–24 mirror Rows 1–6 (10, 12, 13, 14, 14, 14 at the bottom; 14, 14, 14, 13, 12, 10 at the top), so the bowl’s top and bottom curves match.
Flowers (Make 3)
Use sport cotton and the 2.0 mm hook.
Pink Flower (Make 1) and Lavender Flower (Make 1)
Rnd 1 (pale yellow): MR, ch 1, 10 sc in the ring, sl st to the first sc. Fasten off. (10 sc)
Rnd 2 (pink or lavender): Join in any st, ch 1. [Sc in the next st, ch 3, skip the next st] 5 times. Sl st to the first sc. (5 sc, 5 ch-3 sps)
Rnd 3 (front petals): In each ch-3 sp, work (sc, hdc, 2 dc, hdc, sc). Sl st to the first sc. (5 petals, 30 sts)
Rnd 4: Fold the front petals forward. Working behind them, BPsl st around the first sc of Rnd 2. Then [ch 4, BPsl st around the next Rnd 2 sc] 4 times, ch 4, and sl st to the first BPsl st. (5 ch-4 loops)
Rnd 5 (back petals): In each ch-4 loop, work (sc, hdc, 3 dc, hdc, sc). Sl st to the first sc. (5 petals, 35 sts)
Fasten off and leave a 6 in (15.2 cm) tail. The front layer measures about 0.8 in (2.0 cm) across and the full flower about 1.1 in (2.8 cm).
White Daisy (Make 1)
Rnd 1 (mustard): MR, ch 1, 6 sc in the ring, sl st to the first sc. (6 sc)
Rnd 2: Ch 1, 2 sc in each st, sl st to the first sc. Fasten off. (12 sc)
Rnd 3 (white): Join in any st. [Sl st in the next st, then work (ch 2, 3 dc, ch 2, sl st) in the next st] 6 times. (6 petals; each petal uses 2 sts of Rnd 2, 6 × 2 = 12)
Fasten off and leave a 6 in (15.2 cm) tail. The daisy measures about 1.0 in (2.5 cm) across.
Leaves (Make 6)
Use sage green and the 2.0 mm hook.
Foundation: Ch 6.
Leaf: Starting in the 2nd ch from the hook and working across the 5 usable chains:
1. Sc, hdc, dc, hdc in the first four chains.
2. Work (sc, ch 2, sc) in the last ch to make the tip.
3. Rotate and work along the other side of the chain: hdc, dc, hdc, sc.
4. Sl st to the first sc.
(12 sts + one ch-2 tip)
Fasten off with a 6 in (15.2 cm) tail. Each leaf is about 0.8 in (2.0 cm) long.
Border
The border has two rounds: one around the outside of the letter and one around the hole. Use cream and the 3.0 mm hook.
Border gauge: 1 sc in each stitch along the top and bottom, and 1 sc in each row-end along the sides. Sc rows are 6 per inch, so one sc per row-end lies flat with very slight compression. That gives a firm edge.
Outer Round
Continue from Row 24. Turn so the RS faces you; you are at the top of the bowl, on the right.
- Top side: Ch 1. Starting in the sc3tog, sc in each of the first 9 sts. Work 3 sc in the 10th st (top-left corner). (12 sc)
- Stem side: Sc in each of the 24 row-ends down the stem. (24 sc)
- Bottom side: Work 3 sc in the first foundation ch (bottom-left corner), then sc in each of the next 9 foundation chs. (12 sc)
- Bowl side: Sc in each of the 24 row-ends up the curved edge. (24 sc)
Sl st to the first sc. (72 sc)
Each 3-sc corner group is counted only once, inside the top and bottom side totals: 12 + 24 + 12 + 24 = 72. The bowl side gets no extra stitches. Its shaping is spread over Rows 1–4 and 21–24, so one sc per row-end follows the curve without cupping.
Fasten off.
Inner Round (Hole)
With the RS facing, join cream in the first unworked Row 6 st at the bottom of the hole. Ch 1.
- Bottom: Sc in each of the 4 unworked sts. (4 sc)
- Bowl side: Sc in each of the 12 row-ends of the bowl column. (12 sc)
- Top: Sc in the underside of each of the 4 chs from Row 19. (4 sc)
- Stem side: Sc in each of the 12 row-ends of the stem column. (12 sc)
Sl st to the first sc. (32 sc)
The math matches the hole exactly: 4 sts across the bottom, 12 rows on each side, 4 chains across the top. Don’t add stitches at the inner corners, because extra stitches there make the edge ruffle.
The hole’s opening ends up about 0.6 in (1.5 cm) wide by 1.8 in (4.6 cm) tall. Fasten off and weave in all cream ends.
Final Blocking and Finishing
- Spray the letter until it is evenly damp, not dripping.
- Pin it RS up to 3.0 in × 4.2 in (7.6 cm × 10.7 cm). Keep the stem edge straight against a grid line.
- Set pins at the top-left and bottom-left corners, then 4–5 pins around the bowl curve to round it evenly.
- Shape the hole with your fingers so its straight side is parallel to the stem edge.
- Let it dry completely.
- Pin the three flowers flat with their petals spread, and the leaves with their tips pointed. Let them dry.
- Arrange the flowers on the lower bowl:
- Pink flower centered on the bowl, about 1.5 in (3.8 cm) below the top edge.
- Daisy below and to the right of the pink flower, with its petals overlapping the outer edge by about 0.2 in (0.5 cm).
- Lavender flower at the bottom, where the bowl meets the stem.
- Tuck in the leaves: one above the pink flower, one to its left, one to the right of the daisy, one below the daisy, one between the daisy and lavender, and one to the left of the lavender.
- Sew everything on: whipstitch each piece around its center and back petals with its own tail, stitching only into the back loops of the letter so nothing shows on the back.
- Embroider the buds:
- Two pink French knots near the top of the bowl, where it meets the stem.
- Two more on the lower stem, about 0.6 in (1.5 cm) above the bottom edge.
- With split green yarn, add a straight-stitch stem and a lazy-daisy leaf to each pair.
- Attach the hardware: open a jump ring and pass it through the top border about 0.5 in (1.3 cm) in from the top-left corner. Link it to the chain, then attach the split ring to the other end of the chain with the second jump ring. Close both rings fully with the pliers.
Final Quality-Control Checklist
- Letter measures 3.0 in × 4.2 in (7.6 cm × 10.7 cm).
- Outer round has 72 sc; inner round has 32 sc.
- Stem edge is straight; bowl curve is smooth and even top to bottom.
- Hole is centered: 5 stem sts on the left, 4–5 bowl sts on the right.
- All three flowers lie flat, and the back petals of the two layered flowers show between the front petals.
- Appliqués are secure, with no stitching visible on the back.
- Jump rings are fully closed with no gap.
- All ends are woven in and trimmed.
Troubleshooting
- Letter too wide but the right height: Your stitches are loose and your rows are not. Go down one hook size and work Rows 1–6 again.
- Bowl edge is jagged: Make the increases and decreases in the edge stitch exactly as written, then block firmly around the curve.
- Hole looks rectangular: Check that you worked the Row 8 sc2tog and the Row 18 increase on the hole side.
- Outer border ruffles on the bowl: You probably added stitches on the curve. Work exactly 1 sc per row-end.
- Border pulls the corners in: Make sure each left corner has 3 sc.
- Flower petals cup: Block the flower flat and pin each petal tip out.
- Keychain twists when it hangs: Move the jump ring so it sits directly above the middle of the stem.
Care
Spot clean with mild soap and cool water, then press the letter flat and let it air dry. Don’t machine wash it, because the hardware and the sewn appliqués can snag.
Final Notes
The measurement chain is simple:
– A gauge of 5 sts and 6 rows per inch gives a body of 2.8 in × 4.0 in (7.1 cm × 10.2 cm).
– The 0.1 in (0.3 cm) border adds 0.2 in (0.5 cm) in each direction, for a finished size of 3.0 in × 4.2 in (7.6 cm × 10.7 cm).
– The outer round has 72 stitches and the inner round has 32.
If you check your size after Rows 6, 18 and 24, the border and flowers will fall into place. Once you have the D, the same method works for any initial with a straight stem.
Happy crocheting!