This little initial keychain is a flat letter “B” in soft peach single crochet. It has a crisp raised outline and a spray of tiny flowers running down the stem. It’s quick to make, personal, and pretty enough to clip onto a handbag or a set of keys.
The colors are gentle. The letter is peach. Two five-petal flowers and a bud are dusty rose. A daisy, a bud, and the knot centers are cream. The daisy’s center is golden yellow and the leaves are sage green. Gold hardware finishes the look.
The pattern uses US crochet terms. The finished letter measures 4 in (10.2 cm) tall and 3 in (7.6 cm) wide, not counting the hardware.
You crochet the letter flat in rows of single crochet. To make each counter (the enclosed hole of a letter), you split the rows into two narrow strips and then bridge the top of the hole with a chain. Two outline rounds finish the outer edge, and one round neatens each hole. Last, you sew on ten small appliqués and add the key ring.
Finished Size and Construction
- Finished size: 4 in (10.2 cm) tall x 3 in (7.6 cm) wide
- Skill level: Easy-intermediate
- Terminology: US crochet terms
- Yarn weight: Sport-weight (#2) cotton
- Hook: 2.5 mm
- Number of pieces: 1 letter + 10 appliqués (2 rose flowers, 1 daisy, 2 buds, 5 leaves)
- Layout: Single letter, with the flowers along the left stem
- Size before edging: 2.7 in (6.9 cm) wide x 3.7 in (9.4 cm) tall
- Edging depth: about 0.15 in (0.4 cm) per edge
Materials
Use a smooth mercerized or combed cotton in sport weight. Cotton shows each stitch clearly and holds the letter shape. Fuzzy or stretchy yarns will blur the counters.
The amounts below assume about 137 m per 50 g:
- Peach (Color A): 8 g, about 22 m
- Dusty rose (Color B): 3 g, about 8 m
- Cream (Color C): 2 g, about 5 m
- Golden yellow (Color D): 1 g, about 2 m
- Sage green (Color E): 2 g, about 6 m
These amounts include extra for sewing tails.
Tools:
- 2.5 mm crochet hook
- Tapestry needle
- 4 locking stitch markers
- Gold split key ring, 1 in (2.5 cm), with a gold chain about 0.75 in (1.9 cm) long
- One 6–8 mm gold jump ring and two pairs of flat pliers
- Blocking board, rustproof pins, and a spray bottle
- Scissors and a ruler
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
- BLO – back loop only
- st(s) – stitch(es)
- RS / WS – right side / wrong side
Bobble (4-dc bobble): *Yarn over, insert your hook in the stitch, yarn over and pull up a loop, yarn over and draw through 2 loops. Repeat from * 3 more times in the same stitch (5 loops on hook). Yarn over and draw through all 5 loops.
Gauge and Checkpoints
Gauge: 6 sc and 7 rows = 1 in (2.5 cm).
Make the letter before you start any flowers. It’s small enough to work as your gauge swatch, and these checkpoints will show early if you’re off:
- After Row 5: 16 sts measure 2.7 in (6.9 cm) wide, and the piece is 0.7 in (1.8 cm) tall.
- Lower counter: 1 in (2.5 cm) wide x 0.9 in (2.3 cm) tall.
- After Row 15: 2.1 in (5.3 cm) tall and 2.3 in (5.8 cm) wide.
- Upper counter: 0.8 in (2.0 cm) wide x 0.9 in (2.3 cm) tall.
- After Row 26: 3.7 in (9.4 cm) tall.
- After edging: 4 in (10.2 cm) x 3 in (7.6 cm).
If Row 5 is wider than 2.7 in (6.9 cm), switch to a 2.25 mm hook. If it’s narrower, switch to a 2.75 mm hook. Keep the stitch counts the same, because the letter’s shape depends on them.
The Letter
Use Color A and work in rows. Row 1 is the RS. You work odd rows with the RS facing, and they end at the letter’s left edge. You work even rows with the WS facing, and they end at the right edge. The ch 1 at the start of each row does not count as a stitch.
Stitches are numbered from the letter’s left edge as seen from the RS. Put a marker on the RS so you always know which side is which.
Bottom Bar (Rows 1–5)
Foundation: Ch 14.
Row 1 (RS): Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across, turn. (13 sts)
Row 2: Ch 1, sc in next 12 sts, 2 sc in last st, turn. (14 sts)
Row 3: Ch 1, 2 sc in first st, sc in next 13 sts, turn. (15 sts)
Row 4: Ch 1, sc in next 14 sts, 2 sc in last st, turn. (16 sts)
Row 5: Ch 1, sc in each st across, turn. (16 sts)
The increases round off the lower right corner, and the left edge stays straight.
Lower Counter (Rows 6–11)
Stem, Row 6 (WS): Ch 1, sc in sts 1–5, turn. (5 sts)
Stem, Rows 7–11: Ch 1, sc in each st, turn. (5 sts) Don’t fasten off. Put the live loop on a marker.
Right strip, Row 6: With the WS facing, join Color A in st 12 of Row 5. Ch 1, sc in sts 12–16, turn. (5 sts)
Right strip, Rows 7–11: Ch 1, sc in each st, turn. (5 sts) Fasten off.
Sts 6–11 of Row 5 stay unworked. They form the bottom of the hole.
Row 12 (WS): Put the stem loop back on your hook. Ch 1, sc in 5 stem sts, ch 6, sc in 5 sts of the right strip, turn. (16 sts: 5 sc + 6 ch + 5 sc)
The ch 6 closes the top of the hole, so the hole is 6 sts wide and 6 rows tall.
Waist (Rows 13–15)
Row 13 (RS): Ch 1, sc2tog, sc in next 14 sts, working into each ch of the ch-6, turn. (15 sts)
Row 14: Ch 1, sc in next 13 sts, sc2tog, turn. (14 sts)
Row 15: Ch 1, sc in each st across, turn. (14 sts)
Upper Counter (Rows 16–21)
Stem, Row 16 (WS): Ch 1, sc in sts 1–5, turn. (5 sts)
Stem, Rows 17–21: Ch 1, sc in each st, turn. (5 sts) Put the live loop on a marker.
Right strip, Row 16: With the WS facing, join Color A in st 11 of Row 15. Ch 1, sc in sts 11–14, turn. (4 sts)
Right strip, Rows 17–21: Ch 1, sc in each st, turn. (4 sts) Fasten off.
Row 22 (WS): Put the stem loop back on your hook. Ch 1, sc in 5 stem sts, ch 5, sc in 4 sts of the right strip, turn. (14 sts: 5 sc + 5 ch + 4 sc)
Top Bar (Rows 23–26)
Row 23 (RS): Ch 1, sc2tog, sc in next 12 sts, turn. (13 sts)
Row 24: Ch 1, sc in each st across, turn. (13 sts)
Row 25: Ch 1, sc2tog, sc in next 11 sts, turn. (12 sts)
Row 26: Ch 1, sc in next 10 sts, sc2tog. (11 sts) Don’t fasten off.
Edging (Outline)
Edging Gauge
Use Color A and the same hook. Work 1 sc into each stitch and each row end, so the edging matches the body gauge.
Round 1 – Outer Edge (81 sts)
Keep going from Row 26 with the RS facing. Work only around the outside for now.
- Top (14 sts): Ch 1, 3 sc in first st of Row 26 (square corner), sc in next 9 sts, 2 sc in last st (rounded corner).
- Right side (25 sts): Sc in each row end down to Row 1. When you reach Rows 16 and 15, sc2tog over their two row ends to make the waist notch. That gives 26 row ends worked as 25 sts.
- Bottom (16 sts): Working in the opposite loops of the foundation chain, 2 sc in first ch (rounded corner), sc in next 11 chs, 3 sc in last ch (square corner).
- Left side (26 sts): Sc in each row end up to Row 26. Sl st in first sc.
Count: 14 + 25 + 16 + 26 = 81 sts.
Round 2 – Raised Rim (81 sts)
Sl st in the BLO of each st around. (81 sl sts) Fasten off. Keep the same tension as your sc.
Counter Edging
Lower counter (24 sts): With the RS facing, join Color A at the hole’s bottom-left corner. Sc in 6 unworked sts of Row 5, then 6 row ends, then 6 ch loops, then 6 row ends. Sl st to first sc and fasten off. (24 sts)
Upper counter (22 sts): Work the same way: 5 sts + 6 row ends + 5 ch loops + 6 row ends. (22 sts)
Why the Math Works
A single crochet row is only a little shorter than one sc is wide. That means 1 sc per row end lies flat. Square corners need 2 extra stitches to turn, and rounded corners need 1. The single sc2tog pulls in the waist. The holes have inside corners, so they need no increases. Each edge grows by about 0.15 in (0.4 cm), which takes the letter from 2.7 in x 3.7 in (6.9 cm x 9.4 cm) to 3 in x 4 in (7.6 cm x 10.2 cm).
Floral Appliqués
Leave an 8 in (20.3 cm) tail on each appliqué for sewing.
Rose Flower (Make 2)
Use Color B and make a MR.
Round 1: Ch 1, 10 sc in ring, sl st to first sc. Pull the ring tight. (10 sts)
Round 2: *Sl st in next st, (hdc, 2 dc, hdc) in next st. Repeat from * 4 more times. Sl st in first sl st. (5 petals)
With Color C, work 5 French knots (2 wraps each) in the center. Each flower is about 1 in (2.5 cm) across.
Daisy (Make 1)
Use Color D and make a MR.
Round 1: Ch 1, 6 sc in ring, sl st to first sc. Fasten off. (6 sts)
Round 2: Join Color C in any st. *(Ch 2, 2 dc, ch 2, sl st) in the same st, then sl st in next st. Repeat from * 5 more times. (6 petals)
The daisy is about 0.9 in (2.3 cm) across.
Bud (Make 2: 1 in Color C, 1 in Color B)
Ch 3. Work a bobble in 3rd ch from hook, then ch 1 to close it. Each bud is about 0.4 in (1.0 cm) tall.
Leaf (Make 5)
Use Color E and ch 6. Working in the back bumps, sl st in 2nd ch from hook, sc in next ch, hdc in next ch, dc in next ch, and 3 sc in last ch. Turn the piece to work along the other side of the chain: dc in next ch, hdc in next ch, sc in next ch, sl st in last ch. Ch 2 and sl st in the first sl st to form the tip. (11 sts + ch-2 tip) Each leaf is about 0.75 in (1.9 cm) long.
Arranging the Spray
Lay the letter RS up. Place the pieces from top to bottom so they overhang the left edge by about 0.25 in (0.6 cm):
- Cream bud at the top-left corner, with a leaf behind it.
- Rose bud just below it, with a second leaf.
- First rose flower beside the upper counter, with a third leaf.
- Daisy at the waist, with a fourth leaf.
- Second rose flower at the bottom-left corner, overlapping the bottom bar a little, with the fifth leaf.
Pin everything in place. Sew the leaves first, then the flowers on top. Make small stitches through the outer loops of each appliqué, and catch only the front layer of the letter so nothing shows on the back.
Hardware
Twist the jump ring open sideways with two pliers. Slide it under both loops of the edging about 0.5 in (1.3 cm) from the top-left corner and through the last link of the chain. Close it fully.
Final Blocking
- Weave in all tails on the WS.
- Lightly mist the letter until it’s damp. Keep the flowers dry.
- Pin the letter RS up to 4 in (10.2 cm) x 3 in (7.6 cm).
- Pin the left edge straight, then ease the bowls into smooth curves.
- Put a pin in each hole corner to square it.
- Shape the petals with your fingertips so they cup slightly.
- Let everything dry completely before you remove the pins.
Final Quality-Control Checklist
- The letter measures 4 in (10.2 cm) x 3 in (7.6 cm).
- The left stem is straight.
- The lower counter is wider than the upper counter.
- The waist notch shows on the right edge.
- The outline has 81 sts, and the counters have 24 and 22 sts.
- All ten appliqués are secure, and no stitches show on the back.
- The jump ring is fully closed.
Troubleshooting
Edges ruffle: You may have extra stitches. Count again for 81, and work Round 2 more tightly.
Edges cup: Your tension is too tight. Use a hook 0.25 mm larger for the edging only.
Holes look slanted: You probably joined a right strip in the wrong stitch. Count again from the left edge with the RS facing.
Gaps at hole corners: Close each one with a small stitch when you weave in the tail.
Letter too floppy: Use a smaller hook. You can also sew on a felt backing cut 0.1 in (0.3 cm) smaller than the outline.
Care
Spot clean with mild soap and cool water. Press the letter flat in a towel and let it air dry.
Final Notes
Here’s the measurement chain. A gauge of 6 sc and 7 rows per inch (2.5 cm) makes Row 5 measure 2.7 in (6.9 cm) across 16 sts. After 26 rows, the letter is 3.7 in (9.4 cm) tall. The 81-st outline and the rim add 0.15 in (0.4 cm) to each edge, so the finished size is 4 in (10.2 cm) x 3 in (7.6 cm). Add ten small appliqués and a gold ring, and you have a personal little gift.
Happy crocheting!