This Lavender Bloom keychain is a flat, single-layer letter C in soft lavender, with a small cluster of flowers on its left curve. A pink flower, a white flower and a violet flower sit together with sage-green leaves and two tiny pink buds. A gold key ring at the top lets you hang it from a bag handle, a set of keys or a zipper pull.
You work the letter flat in rows of single crochet that curve into a C. One round of single crochet then gives the edge a neat raised outline. You make the flowers, leaves and buds separately and sew them on so they overlap the outer edge a little, which makes the cluster look full.
This pattern uses US crochet terms. The finished letter measures about 4.25 in (10.8 cm) tall and 3.75 in (9.5 cm) wide, and the band is about 1.25 in (3.2 cm) wide.
Construction overview: crochet one curved body of 6 rows, add one border round, and block it. Then make the small appliqués, sew them on and attach the key ring.
Finished Size and Construction
- Finished size: about 4.25 in (10.8 cm) tall x 3.75 in (9.5 cm) wide
- Skill level: Easy to intermediate
- Terminology: US crochet terms
- Yarn weight: DK (light worsted, #3) cotton or cotton blend
- Hooks: 3.25 mm (US D/3) for the letter; 2.75 mm (US C/2) for the appliqués
- Number of pieces: 1 crocheted letter (a single piece, not joined from parts), plus 10 small sewn-on appliqués (3 flowers, 5 leaves, 2 buds)
- Layout: one C shape that opens to the right and covers about 250 degrees of a circle
- Band width before border: 1 in (2.5 cm), 6 rows
- Size before border: about 4 in (10.2 cm) tall x 3.5 in (8.9 cm) wide
- Border depth: about 1/8 in (0.3 cm) on every side, 1 round
Materials
Choose a smooth mercerized or combed DK cotton. Cotton shows every stitch clearly, holds its shape on a keychain and doesn’t fuzz with handling. Avoid fluffy or very soft acrylics, which make the letter floppy.
- Lavender (main): 6 g, about 13 m
- Pink: 2 g, about 4 m (pink flower and 2 buds)
- Cream: 1 g, about 2 m (centers of the pink and violet flowers)
- White: 1 g, about 2 m (white flower)
- Golden yellow: 1 g, about 1 m (center of the white flower)
- Violet (medium purple): 1 g, about 2 m (violet flower)
- Sage green: 2 g, about 4 m (5 leaves)
All quantities include a margin of about 25 percent for tails, sewing and any restarts.
Tools:
- 3.25 mm (US D/3) and 2.75 mm (US C/2) crochet hooks
- Tapestry needle with a sharp or semi-sharp tip
- Gold split key ring, 1 in (2.5 cm) across, with a short gold chain of about 0.75 in (1.9 cm) and a jump ring
- Two pairs of flat-nose pliers (for the jump ring)
- Stitch markers
- Rustproof pins and a blocking mat
- Spray bottle with water
- Scissors and a ruler
Abbreviations (US Terms)
- ch – chain
- sl st – slip stitch
- sc – single crochet
- hdc – half double crochet
- dc – double crochet
- st(s) – stitch(es)
- MR – magic ring
- 2 sc in next – increase: work 2 sc in the same stitch
- ( ) – repeat the steps inside the parentheses as directed
Special stitch – petal: (sl st, ch 2, 3 dc, ch 2, sl st), all in the same stitch.
Special stitch – small petal: (sl st, ch 1, 3 hdc, ch 1, sl st), all in the same stitch.
Gauge and Checkpoints
Gauge: 5 sc and 6 rows = 1 in (2.5 cm) in single crochet rows with the 3.25 mm hook.
Use the letter body itself as your test piece. It is small, and the checkpoints below tell you early whether your gauge is right.
- After Row 1: the strip has 24 sts and is about 4.8 in (12.2 cm) long when laid straight.
- After Row 3: the strip starts to curve, and the band is about 0.5 in (1.3 cm) wide.
- After Row 6: the band is 1 in (2.5 cm) wide and the outer edge is about 8.8 in (22.4 cm) long. Laid flat, the C measures about 4 in (10.2 cm) tall x 3.5 in (8.9 cm) wide.
- After the border: about 4.25 in (10.8 cm) tall x 3.75 in (9.5 cm) wide.
If your piece is too big: go down to a 3.0 mm hook and restart. If it is too small or very stiff: go up to a 3.5 mm (US E/4) hook. Don’t change the stitch counts, because the spacing of the increases controls the curve.
If the C cups like a bowl: your rows are too tight, so go up a hook size. If it ruffles: your rows are too loose, so go down a hook size.
Letter C Body
The body is worked in turning rows, and Row 1 becomes the inner curve of the C. Each later row adds 4 evenly spaced increases. That makes the outer edge longer than the inner edge, so the strip bends into a C.
With lavender and the 3.25 mm hook, ch 25.
Row 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across, turn. (24 sts)
Row 2: Ch 1 (doesn’t count as a st here or in any row), (sc in next 5 sts, 2 sc in next) 4 times, turn. (28 sts)
Row 3: Ch 1, sc in next 3 sts, 2 sc in next, (sc in next 6 sts, 2 sc in next) 3 times, sc in next 3 sts, turn. (32 sts)
Row 4: Ch 1, (sc in next 7 sts, 2 sc in next) 4 times, turn. (36 sts)
Row 5: Ch 1, sc in next 4 sts, 2 sc in next, (sc in next 8 sts, 2 sc in next) 3 times, sc in next 4 sts, turn. (40 sts)
Row 6: Ch 1, (sc in next 9 sts, 2 sc in next) 4 times. (44 sts) Don’t fasten off.
Rows 3 and 5 shift the increases so they don’t stack into visible corners, which keeps the outer edge a smooth curve.
Checkpoint: Lay the piece flat. It should form a C that opens to the right, with a band 1 in (2.5 cm) wide and an overall height of about 4 in (10.2 cm). If it is still a little straight, ease it into shape with your fingers. The border and blocking finish the curve.
Why the curve works: each row adds 1/6 in (0.4 cm) to the radius. Across a 250-degree arc, that adds about 0.73 in (1.9 cm) of edge length per row, or about 3.6 sts at 5 sts per inch. Four increases per row match that closely, so the piece curves and still lies flat.
Flowers
Make all appliqués with the 2.75 mm hook so they are firm, with stitches slightly smaller than the letter’s. Leave a 6 in (15.2 cm) tail on each piece for sewing.
Pink Flower (make 1)
Rnd 1: With cream, MR, ch 1, 5 sc in ring, pull the ring closed, sl st to first sc. Fasten off. (5 sts)
Rnd 2: Join pink in any sc. Work 1 petal in each st around. (5 petals) Fasten off and pull the cream tail to the back.
The finished flower is about 1 in (2.5 cm) across.
White Flower (make 1)
Work as for the pink flower, using golden yellow for Rnd 1 and white for Rnd 2. (5 sts, then 5 petals) It is about 1 in (2.5 cm) across.
Violet Flower (make 1)
Rnd 1: With cream, MR, ch 1, 5 sc in ring, pull closed, sl st to first sc. Fasten off. (5 sts)
Rnd 2: Join violet in any sc. Work 1 small petal in each st around. (5 petals) Fasten off.
The finished flower is about 0.8 in (2.0 cm) across. The shorter hdc petals make it a little smaller, which suits the narrower lower arm of the C.
Leaves and Buds
Leaf (make 5)
With sage green, ch 6.
Rnd 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook, hdc in next ch, dc in next ch, hdc in next ch, sc in last ch. Ch 1 and rotate the work. Now work along the other side of the foundation chain: sc in first ch, hdc in next ch, dc in next ch, hdc in next ch, sc in last ch. Sl st into the skipped ch at the tip. (10 sts plus 1 ch at the base)
Fasten off. Each leaf is a pointed oval about 0.75 in (1.9 cm) long.
Bud (make 2)
With pink, MR, ch 1, 5 sc in ring, sl st to first sc. (5 sts) Fasten off, leaving a tail. Thread the tail onto the needle and weave it through the outer loops of all 5 sts. Pull tight so the piece rolls into a small ball about 0.3 in (0.8 cm) across.
Border
Border gauge: the border uses the same gauge as the body, 5 sc per inch. Work 1 sc in each st along the long edges and 1 sc in each row end along the short ends.
Continue with the lavender loop left from Row 6. Don’t turn.
Rnd 1: Ch 1, then work around the whole piece as follows:
- Outer edge (along Row 6): 3 sc in first st, sc in next 42 sts, 3 sc in last st. (48 sts, including both corner groups)
- First end: 1 sc in each of the 6 row ends. (6 sts)
- Inner edge (along the underside of the foundation chain): 3 sc in first ch, sc in next 22 ch, 3 sc in last ch. (28 sts, including both corner groups)
- Second end: 1 sc in each of the 6 row ends. (6 sts)
Sl st to the first sc. Total: 80 sts worked 1 into each existing stitch or row end + 8 corner increases = 88 sts. Fasten off and weave in the ends.
Why the math works: the outer edge has 44 sts and the inner edge has 24 sts. Working 1 sc into each keeps both edges at their own length, with no pulling or ruffling. The 6 rows give exactly 6 row ends at each end of the C. Each corner gets 3 sc instead of 1, which adds 2 sts at each of the 4 corners (8 in total) and rounds the square corners into the soft ends of the C. The border round adds about 1/8 in (0.3 cm) on every side, which widens the band from 1 in (2.5 cm) to 1.25 in (3.2 cm).
Final Blocking
- Spray the letter lightly until it is damp but not dripping.
- Lay it wrong side down on the blocking mat, with the opening to the right.
- Pin the outer curve into a smooth arc so the C is 4.25 in (10.8 cm) tall.
- Pin the inner curve evenly, keeping the band 1.25 in (3.2 cm) wide all the way around.
- Shape each end into a rounded tip with 2 pins.
- Check that the width is 3.75 in (9.5 cm).
- Let it dry completely before you remove the pins.
- Pin the flowers and leaves out separately: open the petals, shape the leaf tips to a point, and let them dry.
Attaching the Appliqués and Key Ring
Lay the C right side up with the opening to the right, and picture a clock face on the letter.
- Pink flower: center it on the left side of the C at about 9 o’clock, so its outer petals extend about 0.25 in (0.6 cm) past the outer edge.
- White flower: place it just below the pink flower at about 7 o’clock, touching it.
- Violet flower: place it to the right of the white flower, on the lower arm at about 6 o’clock.
- Leaves: tuck the 5 leaves behind the edges of the flowers so only their tips show. Place one at the upper left above the pink flower, one to the left of the pink flower, one between the pink and white flowers, one below the white flower and one below the violet flower.
- Buds: sew one bud on the outer edge at about 10 o’clock, above the top leaf. Sew the other near the tip of the lower arm, to the right of the violet flower.
Sew the leaves first, then the flowers on top of them, then the buds. Use the tails to make small hidden stitches that go only through the back loops of the letter, so nothing shows on the back. Stitch around each flower center and under the base of each petal so the petals can’t flip up.
Key ring: open the jump ring with the two pliers. Thread it through the border at the top of the outer curve (about 12 o’clock) and through the end link of the chain, then close it fully. The split ring hangs from the other end of the chain.
Final Quality-Control Checklist
- Row 6 has 44 sts and the border has 88 sts.
- The letter is 4.25 in (10.8 cm) tall and 3.75 in (9.5 cm) wide.
- The band is an even 1.25 in (3.2 cm) wide all the way around.
- The letter lies flat, without cupping or ruffling.
- Both ends of the C are smoothly rounded.
- All 3 flowers have 5 even petals.
- All 5 leaves and both buds are firmly attached.
- No sewing stitches show on the back.
- The jump ring is fully closed and the key ring is secure.
- All ends are woven in and trimmed.
Troubleshooting
The C stays too straight: your stitches are too loose for the increases to bend the band. Check the increase counts, then block it firmly into a curve.
The C cups or curls up: go up a hook size, and check that every row has all 4 increases.
The edges ruffle: you’ve added extra stitches. Recount each row against the stated totals.
The ends look square: check that each corner has 3 sc, then pin the ends round while they are damp.
The petals are uneven: pull each magic ring fully closed, and make sure every petal starts and ends with a sl st in the same stitch.
The flowers look floppy: use the smaller hook and tack down the base of each petal.
The key ring pulls the letter out of shape: move the jump ring so it goes through both loops of 2 border stitches instead of 1.
Care
Hand wash in cool water with mild soap, press out the water in a towel, and dry flat, reshaping the C as it dries. Take the metal ring off before washing if you can.
Final Notes
The whole design follows one simple measurement chain:
- Row 1 sets the inner curve at 24 sts, about 4.8 in (12.2 cm).
- Four increases per row build the band to 44 sts and 1 in (2.5 cm) wide by Row 6, giving a C about 4 in (10.2 cm) tall.
- One border round of 88 sts adds 1/8 in (0.3 cm) on every side, for a finished letter of 4.25 in (10.8 cm) x 3.75 in (9.5 cm).
The flowers, leaves and buds then finish the left curve. If you check each measurement along the way, your letter will match these numbers.
Happy crocheting!