This bag charm is a capital letter F in soft cream cotton. A raised waffle grid covers the whole letter, and a row of flowers climbs the left stem: two pink buds, a large pink flower with a cream center, a white flower with a yellow center, and a lilac flower with a cream center. Small green leaves are tucked between them.
The look is sweet and cottage-style, and it makes a nice gift for anyone whose name starts with F. A gold split ring and short chain hang from the top-left corner, so it can clip onto a bag strap or a set of keys.
The pattern uses US crochet terms. The finished letter measures 2.75 in (7.0 cm) wide and 4.25 in (10.8 cm) tall, including the border.
You work the letter as one flat piece in waffle-stitch rows, from the bottom up, adding the middle bar and top bar with chains at the right edge. A 2-round single crochet border gives the edge its rounded look. The flowers, buds and leaves are made separately and sewn on.
Finished Size and Construction
- Finished size: 2.75 in (7.0 cm) x 4.25 in (10.8 cm)
- Skill level: Intermediate
- Terminology: US
- Yarn weight: Fingering / light sport cotton (#1–#2)
- Hook: 2.25 mm (US B/1)
- Number of pieces: 1 letter, plus 3 flowers, 2 buds and 5 leaves sewn on
- Layout: single letter F, stem on the left, bars pointing right
- Letter before border: 2.25 in (5.7 cm) x 3.75 in (9.5 cm)
- Stem width: 1.125 in (2.9 cm); the middle bar reaches 1.875 in (4.8 cm)
- Border depth: 0.25 in (0.6 cm) per edge
Materials
Use a smooth, mercerized cotton. It keeps the waffle grid crisp and the petals neat. Avoid fuzzy or stretchy yarns, which blur the grid.
- Cream (letter and flower centers): 12 g / 40 m
- Pink: 3 g / 10 m
- Green: 3 g / 10 m
- White: 2 g / 7 m
- Lilac: 2 g / 7 m
- Yellow: 1 g / 3 m
All quantities include a margin of about 25% for testing and sewing tails.
Tools:
- 2.25 mm (US B/1) hook
- Tapestry needle
- Stitch markers
- 1 in (2.5 cm) gold split keyring with a 0.75 in (1.9 cm) chain and an 8 mm jump ring
- Small pliers
- Blocking mat, rust-proof pins and a spray bottle
- Scissors
Abbreviations (US Terms)
- ch – chain
- st(s) – stitch(es)
- sl st – slip stitch
- sc – single crochet
- hdc – half double crochet
- dc – double crochet
- MR – magic ring
- RS / WS – right side / wrong side
- sc2tog – [insert hook in next st or row-end, yo, pull up a loop] twice, yo, pull through all 3 loops
- sc3tog – the same as sc2tog, but worked over 3 sts
Special stitch – fpdc (front post double crochet): Yo, insert the hook from front to back to front around the post of the st below, yo, pull up a loop, [yo, pull through 2 loops] twice.
Waffle rows: The ch 2 at the start of a row never counts as a st. Both edge sts are always plain dc. RS rows put one fpdc above each single dc. WS rows put pairs of fpdc above the pairs of dc. Alternating these builds the square grid.
Gauge and Checkpoints
Gauge: 16 sts and 8 rows = 2 in (5.1 cm) in waffle pattern, which is 8 sts and 4 rows per inch.
Use the stem as your test piece. Work Rows 1–5, then measure:
- After Row 5: 1.125 in (2.9 cm) wide x 1.25 in (3.2 cm) tall
- After Row 8: 1.875 in (4.8 cm) wide across the middle bar, 2 in (5.1 cm) tall
- After Row 11: 2.75 in (7.0 cm) tall
- After Row 15: 2.25 in (5.7 cm) x 3.75 in (9.5 cm)
- After the border: 2.75 in (7.0 cm) x 4.25 in (10.8 cm)
If the stem is too wide, rip back and switch to a 2.0 mm hook. If it’s too narrow, use a 2.5 mm hook. If only the height is off, pull up the first loop of each dc to the same height every time.
Letter F
Bottom of Stem
Row 1 (WS): With cream, ch 11. Dc in 3rd ch from hook and in each ch across. (9 dc)
Row 2 (RS): Ch 2, turn. Dc in first st, fpdc around next st, [dc in next 2 sts, fpdc around next st] twice, dc in last st. (9 sts: 6 dc, 3 fpdc)
Row 3 (WS): Ch 2, turn. Dc in first st, dc in next st, [fpdc around next 2 sts, dc in next st] twice, dc in last st. (9 sts: 5 dc, 4 fpdc)
Rows 4–5: Repeat Rows 2–3. (9 sts per row)
You are now at the right edge, as seen from the RS.
Middle Bar
Row 6 (RS): Ch 8, turn. Dc in 3rd ch from hook and in next 5 ch (6 dc). Across the stem: dc in first st, fpdc around next st, [dc in next 2 sts, fpdc around next st] twice, dc in last st. (15 sts)
The 6 new plain dc act as the foundation for the bar, the way Row 1 does for the stem.
Row 7 (WS): Ch 2, turn. Dc in first st, dc in next st, [fpdc around next 2 sts, dc in next st] 4 times, dc in last st. (15 sts)
Row 8 (RS): Ch 2, turn. Dc in first st, fpdc around next st, [dc in next 2 sts, fpdc around next st] 4 times, dc in last st. (15 sts)
Stem Between Bars
Row 9 (WS): Ch 2, turn. Dc in first st, dc in next st, [fpdc around next 2 sts, dc in next st] twice, dc in next st. Leave the remaining 6 sts unworked. (9 sts)
Row 10 (RS): Work as Row 2. (9 sts)
Row 11 (WS): Work as Row 3. (9 sts)
Top Bar
Row 12 (RS): Ch 11, turn. Dc in 3rd ch from hook and in next 8 ch (9 dc). Across the stem: dc in first st, fpdc around next st, [dc in next 2 sts, fpdc around next st] twice, dc in last st. (18 sts)
Row 13 (WS): Ch 2, turn. Dc in first st, dc in next st, [fpdc around next 2 sts, dc in next st] 5 times, dc in last st. (18 sts)
Row 14 (RS): Ch 2, turn. Dc in first st, fpdc around next st, [dc in next 2 sts, fpdc around next st] 5 times, dc in last st. (18 sts)
Row 15 (WS): Work as Row 13. (18 sts) Don’t fasten off.
Flowers, Buds and Leaves
Leave an 8 in (20.3 cm) tail on every appliqué for sewing.
Large pink flower (make 1, about 1.1 in / 2.8 cm across):
- Rnd 1: With cream, MR, 5 sc in ring, sl st to first sc. (5 sts) Fasten off.
- Rnd 2: Join pink in any st. Ch 1, 2 sc in each st around, sl st to first sc. (10 sts)
- Rnd 3: *Sl st in next st, (hdc, 3 dc, hdc) in next st; repeat from * 4 more times, sl st to first sl st. (5 petals, 30 sts)
White and lilac flowers (make 1 of each, about 0.8 in / 2.0 cm across):
- Rnd 1: With yellow (for the white flower) or cream (for the lilac flower), MR, 5 sc in ring, sl st to first sc. (5 sts) Fasten off.
- Rnd 2: Join the petal color in any st. *(Sc, hdc, dc, hdc, sc) in next st; repeat from * 4 more times, sl st to first sc. (5 petals, 25 sts)
Pink buds (make 2, about 0.3 in / 0.8 cm across):
- With pink, MR, 5 hdc in ring.
- Pull the ring tight so the bud cups into a ball, then sl st to the first hdc and fasten off.
- Stuff the starting tail inside.
- With green, work 2 straight stitches in a V at the base of each bud to make a calyx.
Leaves (make 5, about 0.9 in / 2.3 cm long): With green, ch 7. Sc in 2nd ch from hook, hdc in next ch, dc in next 2 ch, hdc in next ch, (sc, ch 2, sc) in last ch for the tip. Working along the other side of the chain: hdc in next ch, dc in next 2 ch, hdc in next ch, sc in last ch. Sl st to first sc. (12 sts plus a ch-2 tip)
Border
Border gauge: 8 sc = 1 in (2.5 cm), which matches the letter’s 8 sts per inch. Each dc row is 0.25 in (0.6 cm) tall, so 2 sc per row-end also gives 8 sc per inch. Each sc round adds 0.125 in (0.3 cm).
Corner rules:
- Outer corners (7): work 2 sc in the corner st or ch. One of these is the edge’s last sc and the other is the extra corner sc.
- Inner corners (3): work an sc2tog over the last space of one edge and the first space of the next.
Rnd 1 (RS): Ch 1 and turn so the RS faces you. You start at the top-right corner.
- Top edge: 2 sc in first st, sc in next 16 sts, 2 sc in last st. (20 sts)
- Left side: 2 sc in each of 15 row-ends. (30 sts)
- Bottom edge: 2 sc in first ch, sc in next 7 ch, 2 sc in last ch. (11 sts)
- Lower stem, right side: 9 sc up Rows 1–5, then sc2tog over the last row-end and the first free loop of the Row 6 chain. (10 sts)
- Underside of middle bar: sc in next 4 ch, 2 sc in last ch. (6 sts)
- End of middle bar: 2 sc in each of 3 row-ends. (6 sts)
- Top of middle bar: 2 sc in first unworked st of Row 8, sc in next 4 sts, sc2tog over the last st and the first row-end of Row 9. (7 sts)
- Stem between bars: 4 sc up Rows 9–11, then sc2tog over the last row-end and the first free loop of the Row 12 chain. (5 sts)
- Underside of top bar: sc in next 7 ch, 2 sc in last ch. (9 sts)
- End of top bar: 2 sc in each of 4 row-ends. (8 sts)
Sl st to first sc. Total: 112 sts (108 edge sc + 7 corner sc − 3 lost at the sc2tog corners).
Rnd 2: Ch 1. Sc in each st around, except:
- At each of the 7 corner sc, work 3 sc in that st.
- At each of the 3 inner corners, sc3tog over the st before the sc2tog, the sc2tog itself, and the st after it.
Sl st to first sc. Total: 120 sts. That’s 96 plain sc, 21 corner sc and 3 sc3tog. Plain sc per edge:
| Edge | Plain sc |
|---|---|
| Top | 18 |
| Left | 30 |
| Bottom | 9 |
| Lower stem | 8 |
| Underside of middle bar | 4 |
| End of middle bar | 6 |
| Top of middle bar | 4 |
| Stem between bars | 2 |
| Underside of top bar | 7 |
| End of top bar | 8 |
Fasten off and weave in the ends.
Why the math works: Each edge gets 1 sc per st or 2 per row-end, so the edges lie flat. The F has 7 outer turns and 3 inner turns, which leaves 4 net quarter turns. Rnd 1 adds 4 net sts (7 − 3), one per net turn. Rnd 2 is farther out, so it adds 8 net sts (14 − 6), two per net turn. The two rounds add 0.25 in (0.6 cm) to every edge. That gives 2.25 + 0.5 = 2.75 in (7.0 cm) of width and 3.75 + 0.5 = 4.25 in (10.8 cm) of height.
Final Blocking
- Mist the bare letter until it’s evenly damp.
- Pin it RS up to 2.75 in (7.0 cm) x 4.25 in (10.8 cm), with a pin at each of the 7 outer corners.
- Square the inner corners with your fingertips and check that the two bars are parallel.
- Let it dry completely.
- Steam the flowers and leaves lightly and press the petals flat.
- Arrange the appliqués down the stem so they overlap the left border by up to 0.2 in (0.5 cm):
- Put the buds 0.2 in (0.5 cm) below the top edge, with 2 leaves beside them.
- Center the pink flower about 1.6 in (4.1 cm) from the top, with a leaf on its left.
- Place the white flower below it, then the lilac flower below and slightly to the right, with its upper petal tucked under the white flower.
- Slide the last 2 leaves under the lower-left edges.
- Sew the leaves on first, then the buds and flowers. Use tiny stitches through the back of each center and petal tip.
- Open the jump ring, pass it through both border rounds at the top-left corner, add the chain and keyring, and close it firmly.
Final Quality-Control Checklist
- Every row has 9, 15 or 18 sts, as written.
- The grid lines run straight up the stem.
- Rnd 1 has 112 sts and Rnd 2 has 120 sts.
- The letter measures 2.75 in (7.0 cm) x 4.25 in (10.8 cm).
- The edges don’t wave and the inner corners don’t pucker.
- No sewing stitches show on the petal fronts.
- The jump ring is fully closed.
Troubleshooting
- The grid looks lopsided: RS and WS rows are swapped. On RS rows, the fpdc sits above a single dc.
- The bars slope: Work the plain dc over the chains exactly as written in Rows 6 and 12.
- The border ruffles: Use a hook 0.25 mm smaller for the border only.
- The border cups: Check that you worked 2 sc per row-end and 2 sc at each outer corner.
- Inner corners gape: Pull each sc2tog and sc3tog snug.
- Flowers flop forward: Add a tacking stitch at each petal tip.
Care
Hand wash in cool water with mild soap, roll it in a towel to remove water, and dry it flat. Check the jump ring now and then.
Final Notes
The sizes build on each other in one chain. A gauge of 8 sts and 4 rows per inch gives a 1.125 in (2.9 cm) stem. The bars bring the letter to 2.25 in (5.7 cm) x 3.75 in (9.5 cm). Two border rounds of 0.125 in (0.3 cm) finish it at 2.75 in (7.0 cm) x 4.25 in (10.8 cm). Check each stage as you go and your flowery F will come out neat and ready to give. Happy crocheting!