This little keychain is a cream capital “D” with a small spring bouquet sewn onto its lower-left corner. The letter is worked in firm single crochet, so it holds its shape on a bag handle and doesn’t flop. A raised slip-stitch ridge outlines the edge for a clean, finished look.
The bouquet has three five-petal flowers in sky blue, white and lilac, with yellow centers. Five sage-green leaves and three tiny buds sit around them. The colors are soft and light, which makes this a good gift, a bag charm or a personalized party favor.
The pattern uses US crochet terms. The finished letter is about 3 in (7.6 cm) wide × 3.5 in (8.9 cm) tall, not counting the key ring hardware.
Construction is simple. You crochet the letter flat in rows from the bottom up. You work the stem and the bowl as two short separate sections to form the center opening, then join them with a chain. After that you add a two-round border, a slip-stitch rim inside the opening, the appliqués and the hardware.
Finished Size and Construction
- Finished size: 3 in (7.6 cm) wide × 3.5 in (8.9 cm) tall
- Skill level: Easy–Intermediate
- Terminology: US crochet terms
- Yarn weight: DK (light #3) cotton
- Hook: 3.25 mm (US D/3)
- Number of pieces: 1 letter, plus 3 flowers, 5 leaves and 3 buds sewn on
- Layout: one single letter with no assembly grid
- Letter body before border: 2.8 in (7.1 cm) wide × 3.3 in (8.4 cm) tall
- Border depth: about 0.1 in (0.3 cm) per side
Materials
Use a smooth, mercerized or combed DK cotton. Cotton gives crisp stitch definition and keeps its shape under handling. Avoid fuzzy or very stretchy yarns, because the letter needs to stay firm.
- Cream (main color): 10 g / 23 m
- Sky blue: 3 g / 7 m (1 flower + 2 buds)
- Lilac: 3 g / 7 m (1 flower + 1 bud)
- White: 2 g / 5 m
- Sage green: 3 g / 7 m
- Golden yellow: 1 g / 2 m
- Pale butter yellow: 1 g / 2 m
All quantities include a small margin for your gauge swatch and sewing tails.
Tools:
– 3.25 mm (US D/3) crochet hook
– Tapestry needle
– 1 in (2.5 cm) gold split key ring
– 2 gold jump rings, 6 mm
– 0.5 in (1.3 cm) of small gold chain (3–4 links)
– 2 pairs of flat-nose pliers
– Stitch marker
– Rust-proof pins and a blocking mat
Abbreviations (US Terms)
- ch – chain
- sl st – slip stitch
- sc – single crochet
- hdc – half double crochet
- dc – double crochet
- sc2tog – single crochet 2 together (decrease)
- BLO – back loop only
- st(s) – stitch(es)
- rep – repeat
Special stitch – sc2tog: Insert the hook in the next st and pull up a loop. Insert the hook in the following st and pull up a loop. Yarn over and draw through all 3 loops on the hook.
Gauge and Checkpoints
Gauge: 5 sc and 6 rows = 1 in (2.5 cm) in single crochet rows.
Make a swatch first. Ch 11, then work 12 rows of 10 sc. It should measure 2 in (5.1 cm) square. This letter is small, so even a slight gauge difference changes its proportions.
Checkpoints while working:
– After Row 1: 2 in (5.1 cm) wide
– After Row 6: 2.8 in (7.1 cm) wide and 1 in (2.5 cm) tall
– After Row 14: about 2.3 in (5.8 cm) tall. The stem leg is 1 in (2.5 cm) wide and the bowl leg is 0.8 in (2.0 cm) wide.
– After Row 20: 2.8 in (7.1 cm) × 3.3 in (8.4 cm)
– After the border: 3 in (7.6 cm) × 3.5 in (8.9 cm)
If your piece is too big, go down to a 3.0 mm hook. If it’s too small, go up to a 3.5 mm hook. Don’t add or remove stitches, because the shaping depends on the exact counts.
Letter D Body
The rows have a fixed direction:
– Odd rows run from the stem edge toward the curved edge.
– Even rows run from the curved edge back to the stem edge.
All increases and decreases happen on the curved edge only, so the stem stays perfectly straight. Ch 1 at the start of each row does not count as a stitch.
With cream, ch 11.
Row 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across. Turn. (10 sc)
The free end of the chain is the stem edge. Row 1 ends at the curved edge.
Row 2: Ch 1, 2 sc in first st, sc in each of next 9 sts. Turn. (11 sc)
Row 3: Ch 1, sc in each of next 10 sts, 2 sc in last st. Turn. (12 sc)
Row 4: Ch 1, 2 sc in first st, sc in each of next 11 sts. Turn. (13 sc)
Row 5: Ch 1, sc in each of next 12 sts, 2 sc in last st. Turn. (14 sc)
Row 6: Ch 1, sc in each st across. (14 sc)
Row 6 ends at the stem edge. Don’t fasten off.
Stem Leg
Row 7: Ch 1, turn, sc in first 5 sts only. Leave the remaining 9 sts unworked. Turn. (5 sc)
Rows 8–14: Ch 1, sc in each st across. Turn after each row except Row 14. (5 sc per row)
Row 14 ends at the stem edge. Enlarge the loop, place a stitch marker in it and set the piece aside. Don’t cut the yarn.
Bowl Leg
Count Row 6 from the stem edge. Leave sts 6–10 unworked; they form the bottom of the opening.
Row 7: Join cream with a sl st in st 11. Ch 1, sc in same st and in each of next 3 sts. Turn. (4 sc)
Rows 8–14: Ch 1, sc in each st across. Turn after each row except Row 14. (4 sc per row)
Row 14 ends at the inner edge. Fasten off with a 6 in (15.2 cm) tail and weave it in later.
Joining the Legs
Put the marked stem loop back on your hook.
Row 15: Ch 1, turn, sc in each of the 5 stem sts. Ch 5, then sc in each of the 4 bowl-leg sts. Turn.
(14 sts = 9 sc + 5 ch) Make sure the ch 5 isn’t twisted.
Row 16: Ch 1, sc in each of 4 sc, sc in each of 5 ch, sc in each of 5 sc. Turn. (14 sc)
The opening is now closed: 5 sts wide by 8 rows tall, which is 1 in (2.5 cm) × 1.3 in (3.3 cm).
Top Shaping
Row 17: Ch 1, sc in each of next 12 sts, sc2tog. Turn. (13 sc)
Row 18: Ch 1, sc2tog, sc in each of next 11 sts. Turn. (12 sc)
Row 19: Ch 1, sc in each of next 10 sts, sc2tog. Turn. (11 sc)
Row 20: Ch 1, sc2tog, sc in each of next 9 sts. (10 sc)
Don’t fasten off. Row 20 ends at the top stem corner.
Rows 17–20 mirror Rows 2–5, so the top and bottom curves of the bowl match. The body measures 2.8 in (7.1 cm) × 3.3 in (8.4 cm).
Border
Border gauge: One sc per row end along the sides and one sc per stitch along the top and bottom. Square stem corners get 3 sc. Rounded bowl corners get 2 sc.
Rnd 1: Ch 1, turn. Work 3 sc in the first st (top stem corner), sc in next 8 sts, 2 sc in last st. That puts 13 sc on the top edge.
– Curved side: sc in each of the 20 row ends (20 sc).
– Bottom edge: Work into the free loops of the foundation chain. Make 2 sc in the first ch, sc in next 8 ch and 3 sc in the last ch at the stem corner (13 sc).
– Stem side: sc in each of the 20 row ends (20 sc).
– Join with a sl st to the first sc. (66 sc)
Rnd 2: Ch 1, sl st in BLO of each sc around. Join to the first sl st. (66 sl st) Fasten off.
The unused front loops form the raised ridge seen around the outer edge.
Inner rim: Join cream at the inner edge of the opening. Work 1 sl st in each of the following:
– the 5 unworked sts of Row 6
– the 8 bowl-leg row ends
– the 5 chains of Row 15
– the 8 stem-leg row ends
Join and fasten off. (26 sl st)
Why the math works:
– Top edge: 3 + 8 + 2 = 13 sts, made from 10 stitches.
– Bottom edge: 2 + 8 + 3 = 13 sts, made from 10 chains.
– Each side: 20 sc, one per row end.
– Total: 13 + 20 + 13 + 20 = 66 sc.
– Rnd 2 converts these 1:1 into 66 sl st, so the edge doesn’t spread.
– Each round adds about 0.1 in (0.3 cm) per side across Rnds 1–2 combined. That brings 2.8 in (7.1 cm) to 3 in (7.6 cm), and 3.3 in (8.4 cm) to 3.5 in (8.9 cm).
– The inner rim is 1 sl st per edge stitch, so the opening keeps its 1 in (2.5 cm) × 1.3 in (3.3 cm) size.
Flowers (Make 3)
Make one flower each in sky blue, white and lilac. Use golden yellow for the white flower’s center and pale butter yellow for the other two.
Center: With the yellow, make a magic ring. Ch 1, then work 5 sc in the ring. Pull the ring tight and join with a sl st to the first sc. Fasten off. (5 sc)
Petals: Join the petal color with a sl st in any sc. Work (ch 2, 2 dc, ch 2, sl st) in the same st, then sl st into the next sc. Rep from * 4 more times, ending in the joining st. (5 petals, 10 dc)
Fasten off and leave an 8 in (20.3 cm) tail for sewing. Each flower is about 1 in (2.5 cm) across.
Leaves (Make 5)
With sage green, ch 6.
Side 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook, then hdc, dc and hdc in the next 3 ch. Work sc in the last ch. (5 sts)
Tip: Ch 2.
Side 2: Rotate the piece and work along the free loops of the chain: sc, hdc, dc, hdc, sc. Sl st to the first sc. (10 sts + ch-2 tip)
Fasten off and leave a sewing tail. Each leaf is about 0.75 in (1.9 cm) long.
Buds (Make 3)
Make 2 in sky blue and 1 in lilac.
Rnd 1: Magic ring, ch 1, 6 sc in the ring. Pull it tight. (6 sc)
Rnd 2: Sc2tog 3 times. (3 sc)
Tuck the starting tail inside, then close the hole with the working tail. Each bud is a tiny ball about 0.3 in (0.8 cm) across.
Assembly and Hardware
Lay the letter with its neatest side facing up.
- Sew the blue flower onto the lower stem. Its center goes about 1.3 in (3.3 cm) above the bottom edge.
- Sew the white flower just below and slightly overlapping it, at the bottom-left corner.
- Sew the lilac flower to the right of the white flower, along the bottom edge.
- Tuck 5 leaves behind the flowers: two to the left of the blue flower, one below the white flower, one between white and lilac, and one to the right of the lilac flower. Sew them through their bases.
- Sew one blue bud above the blue flower, the lilac bud just under it, and the second blue bud at the right end beyond the lilac flower.
- Hardware: Open a jump ring and pass it through the center sc of the top stem corner, going under both border loops. Add the chain and close the ring. Use the second jump ring to attach the other end of the chain to the split key ring.
Final Blocking
- Lightly mist the letter with water. Don’t soak the appliqués.
- Pin it flat on the mat to 3 in (7.6 cm) × 3.5 in (8.9 cm).
- Put pins along the straight stem side to keep it truly vertical.
- Pin the curves gently so the bowl stays rounded.
- Put one pin inside the opening on each long side so it keeps its shape.
- Let it dry completely, then remove the pins.
Final Quality-Control Checklist
- The letter measures 3 in (7.6 cm) × 3.5 in (8.9 cm).
- The stem edge is straight, and both of its corners are square.
- The top and bottom bowl curves match.
- Border Rnd 1 has 66 sc and Rnd 2 has 66 sl st.
- The inner rim has 26 sl st, and the opening is not puckered.
- You have 3 flowers with 5 petals each, plus 5 leaves and 3 buds, all secure.
- All tails are woven in invisibly.
- The jump rings are fully closed with no gaps.
Troubleshooting
The stem edge leans: You added an increase on the stem side. Check that every Row 2–5 increase is on the curved edge.
The opening is uneven: One leg has more rows than the other. Both legs need exactly 8 rows (Rows 7–14).
The border ruffles: Your hook is too large for the border. Go down 0.25 mm for Rnds 1–2 only.
The border cups: You skipped some row ends. Count 20 sc per side.
The petals curl: The ch-2 is too tight. Chain a little looser or block the flowers flat.
The ring tilts sideways: Move the jump ring to the exact center sc of the corner.
Care
Spot clean or hand wash in cool water, press out the moisture in a towel and dry flat. Take the metal hardware off first if possible so it doesn’t tarnish.
Final Notes
Here is how the measurements build up:
1. Gauge: 5 sc and 6 rows per 1 in (2.5 cm).
2. Body: 14 stitches and 20 rows give 2.8 in (7.1 cm) × 3.3 in (8.4 cm).
3. Border: A 66-stitch border adds about 0.1 in (0.3 cm) per side, for a finished 3 in (7.6 cm) × 3.5 in (8.9 cm) letter.
Check each of these and your keychain will come out crisp and true to size. You can swap the flower colors to match a gift or a bag.
Happy crocheting!