This keychain is a bold capital letter I. It’s worked flat in soft lavender single crochet and decorated with a column of small flowers. A pink bud, two cream flowers with yellow centers, one larger pink flower with a cream center, and sage green leaves run down the left side of the letter. A gold split ring goes on last.
The single crochet fabric is dense, so the letter is stiff enough to hang from a bag. One round of single crochet around the outline gives it a neat, slightly raised edge. The flowers are separate small appliqués that you sew on at the end, so you can try different arrangements before you sew them down.
This pattern uses US crochet terms. The finished letter measures about 2.67 in (6.8 cm) wide and 4.33 in (11.0 cm) tall, not counting the ring.
Here is the construction order:
– Work the bottom bar in rows.
– Slip stitch across to narrow into the stem, then work the stem straight.
– Widen again for the top bar, with a short chain on one side and foundation single crochet on the other.
– Work one border round all the way around.
– Make the appliqués, sew them on, block the letter, and add the hardware.
Finished Size and Construction
- Finished size: 2.67 in (6.8 cm) wide x 4.33 in (11.0 cm) tall
- Skill level: Easy to intermediate
- Terminology: US crochet terms
- Yarn weight: Sport weight (#2) cotton or cotton blend
- Hook: 3.25 mm (US D/3)
- Number of pieces: 1 letter base, plus 8 small appliqués sewn on (finished as one single item)
- Layout: One letter, no joining
- Piece size before border: 2.33 in (5.9 cm) wide x 4 in (10.2 cm) tall
- Bar width before border: 14 sts; stem width 8 sts
- Border depth: 1 round of sc, about 0.17 in (0.4 cm) on every edge
Materials
Choose a smooth sport weight cotton or cotton blend so the stitches look crisp and the letter holds its shape. Avoid fuzzy or very stretchy yarn, which blurs the outline. A yarn with about 270 m per 100 g works well.
- Lavender (letter and border): 10 g, about 27 m
- Pink (bud and large flower): 3 g, about 8 m
- Cream (small flowers and large flower center): 3 g, about 8 m
- Sage green (leaves and bud calyx): 3 g, about 8 m
- Yellow (small flower centers and French knot): 1 g, about 3 m
Tools:
- 3.25 mm (US D/3) crochet hook
- Tapestry needle
- 1 in (2.5 cm) gold split keyring with a short chain and jump ring
- Small pliers
- Scissors
- Rustproof pins and a blocking mat
- Spray bottle with water
All quantities include a margin of about 20 percent for gauge testing and weaving in ends.
Abbreviations (US Terms)
- ch – chain
- sl st – slip stitch
- sc – single crochet
- hdc – half double crochet
- dc – double crochet
- sc2tog – single crochet 2 together
- fsc – foundation single crochet
- MR – magic ring
- st(s) – stitch(es)
- RS – right side
Foundation single crochet (fsc): Insert hook under the 2 strands at the base of the last stitch made, yarn over and pull up a loop. Yarn over and draw through 1 loop (this forms the base chain). Yarn over and draw through both loops. Each fsc adds one stitch to the end of the row and leaves a base chain you can work into later.
4-dc bobble: (Yarn over, insert hook in st, pull up a loop, yarn over, draw through 2 loops) 4 times in the same st, then yarn over and draw through all 5 loops on hook.
Gauge and Checkpoints
Gauge: 24 sc and 24 rows = 4 in (10.2 cm). That is 6 sts and 6 rows per inch.
The letter is small, so it can be your test piece. Work Rows 1–4 and measure before going on. If you prefer a swatch, work 12 sc for 12 rows; it should measure 2 in (5.1 cm) square.
Checkpoints:
- After Row 4 (bottom bar): 2.33 in (5.9 cm) wide x 0.67 in (1.7 cm) tall
- After Row 20 (stem): stem 1.33 in (3.4 cm) wide; total height 3.33 in (8.5 cm)
- After Row 24 (top bar): 2.33 in (5.9 cm) wide x 4 in (10.2 cm) tall
- After the border: 2.67 in (6.8 cm) x 4.33 in (11.0 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 (US E/4) hook. Row gauge matters as much as stitch gauge here, because the border puts 1 sc in each row end. If your rows are taller than your stitches are wide, tighten your yarn overs or try a smaller hook.
Letter Base
Use lavender. The ch 1 at the start of a row does not count as a stitch.
Bottom Bar
Row 1: Ch 15, sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across. (14 sts)
Rows 2–4: Ch 1, turn, sc in each st across. (14 sts)
Checkpoint: 2.33 in (5.9 cm) x 0.67 in (1.7 cm).
Stem
Row 5: Do not ch. Turn, sl st in first 4 sts, ch 1, sc in same st as last sl st and in next 7 sts. Leave the last 3 sts unworked. (8 sts)
This centers the stem. The 3 bar sts left on each side form the serifs of the bottom bar.
Rows 6–20: Ch 1, turn, sc in each st across. (8 sts)
You now have 16 stem rows (Rows 5–20). Checkpoint: stem 1.33 in (3.4 cm) wide, total height 3.33 in (8.5 cm). Lay the piece flat and check that the stem sits exactly in the middle of the bar.
Top Bar
Row 21: At the end of Row 20, ch 4, turn. Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in next 2 ch (3 sts), sc in each of the 8 stem sts (8 sts), then work 3 fsc off the last sc (3 sts). (14 sts)
The 3 sts worked into the chain on one side and the 3 fsc on the other side make matching serifs, each 0.5 in (1.3 cm) long.
Rows 22–24: Ch 1, turn, sc in each st across. (14 sts)
Checkpoint: 2.33 in (5.9 cm) x 4 in (10.2 cm). Do not fasten off; go straight on to the border.
Border
Border gauge: The border uses the same 6 sc per inch. The body has 6 sts and 6 rows per inch, so 1 sc per stitch and 1 sc per row end lies flat on every edge.
Rnd 1: Ch 1, turn. Work around the whole outline in the order below. On the side where Row 5 began, the 3 bar sts have slip stitches on top; work into those slip stitches as normal.
- Top edge: 3 sc in first st of Row 24, sc in next 12 sts, 3 sc in last st. (18 sts)
- Top serif end: sc in row ends of Rows 23 and 22. (2 sts)
- Serif corner: 3 sc in the outer end of Row 21. (3 sts)
- Under the serif: sc in base of next extension st, sc2tog over base of the last extension st and row end of Row 20. (2 sts)
- Stem side: sc in row ends of Rows 19–6. (14 sts)
- Inner corner: sc2tog over row end of Row 5 and the nearest bar st, sc in next bar st. (2 sts)
- Bar corner: 3 sc in the outer bar st of Row 4. (3 sts)
- Bottom serif end: sc in row ends of Rows 3 and 2. (2 sts)
- Bottom edge: working into the foundation ch, 3 sc in first ch, sc in next 12 ch, 3 sc in last ch. (18 sts)
-
Second side: work steps 8 back to 2 in mirror order:
- Sc in row ends of Rows 2 and 3.
- 3 sc in outer bar st of Row 4.
- Sc in next bar st, sc2tog over last bar st and row end of Row 5.
- Sc in row ends of Rows 6–19.
- Sc2tog over row end of Row 20 and base of first extension st, sc in base of next extension st.
- 3 sc in outer end of Row 21.
- Sc in row ends of Rows 22 and 23.
(2 + 3 + 2 + 14 + 2 + 3 + 2 = 28 sts)
Join with sl st to first sc. Fasten off and weave in ends. (92 sts)
Why the math works:
- Each long edge is 14 sts. The 2 end sts get 3 sc each and the 12 between get 1 each: 12 + 6 = 18. The corner sts are counted once, inside the 18.
- Each side of the outline totals 2 + 3 + 2 + 14 + 2 + 3 + 2 = 28 sts.
- Full round: 18 + 28 + 18 + 28 = 92 sts.
- The 8 outer corners get 3 sc each so they turn sharply and lie flat. The 4 inner corners, where stem meets bar, use sc2tog so they stay crisp instead of ruffling.
- One sc round adds 1 st and 1 row to each edge. The letter becomes 16 sts (2.67 in / 6.8 cm) wide and 26 rows (4.33 in / 11.0 cm) tall.
Appliqués
Leave a 6 in (15.2 cm) tail on every appliqué for sewing.
Small Cream Flower (make 2)
Rnd 1: With yellow, MR, 5 sc in ring. Pull closed, sl st to first sc. Fasten off. (5 sts)
Rnd 2: Join cream in any st. *(Sl st, ch 2, 2 dc, ch 2, sl st) in same st, move to next st; rep from * 4 more times. (5 petals)
Fasten off. Each flower is about 0.75 in (1.9 cm) across.
Large Pink Flower (make 1)
Rnd 1: With cream, MR, 10 sc in ring. Pull closed, sl st to first sc. Fasten off. (10 sts)
Rnd 2: Join pink in any st. *(Hdc, 2 dc, hdc) in next st, sl st in next st; rep from * 4 more times. (5 petals, 25 sts)
Fasten off. With yellow, work 1 French knot in the center. The flower is about 1 in (2.5 cm) across.
Leaf (make 4)
With green, ch 6.
Rnd 1:
– Sc in 2nd ch from hook, hdc in next ch, dc in next ch, hdc in next ch.
– (Sc, ch 1, sc) in last ch for the tip.
– Rotate and work along the other side of the foundation ch: hdc in next ch, dc in next ch, hdc in next ch, sc in next ch.
– Sl st in first sc.
(4 + 3 + 4 sts, plus 1 sl st)
Fasten off. Each leaf is about 0.75 in (1.9 cm) long.
Bud (make 1)
With pink, ch 3, 4-dc bobble in 3rd ch from hook, ch 2, sl st in same ch. Fasten off.
Calyx: Join green at the base of the bobble. Ch 1, work 3 sc across the base so they wrap slightly up both sides, then ch 3 for a short stem. Fasten off. The bud is about 0.5 in (1.3 cm) tall.
Assembly
Lay the letter RS up with the bottom bar nearest you. All the appliqués go in one vertical column on the left half of the stem. The column overlaps the stem’s left edge by about 0.25 in (0.6 cm).
From top to bottom:
- Bud, tucked just under the top bar, calyx pointing down.
- 2 leaves, one on each side of the calyx, angled outward.
- Small cream flower.
- Large pink flower, centered on the left half of the stem.
- Small cream flower, just above the bottom bar.
- 2 leaves, one below and to the left of the bottom cream flower, the other to its right.
Pin everything in place and look at it from a distance. The flowers should touch or slightly overlap so they form one unbroken column.
Sew each piece down with small whip stitches around its edge. Catch only the top layer of the letter’s stitches so nothing shows on the back. Tack each petal tip with 1 stitch so it doesn’t snag. Weave in all tails on the back.
Final Blocking
- Spray the letter lightly until damp but not soaking.
- Place it RS up on your blocking mat.
- Pin the 8 outer corners first, measuring 2.67 in (6.8 cm) across each bar.
- Pin the top and bottom edges so the total height is 4.33 in (11.0 cm).
- Pin the middle of each stem side to keep the stem straight. It should be 1.67 in (4.2 cm) wide including the border.
- Press the appliqués flat with your fingertips, shaping the petals and leaf tips.
- Let it dry completely.
- Unpin. Open the jump ring with pliers and pass it through the center 2 border sts of the top edge. Close the ring and attach the keyring chain.
Final Quality-Control Checklist
- Letter measures 2.67 in (6.8 cm) x 4.33 in (11.0 cm).
- Stem is centered, with 3 bar sts on each side, top and bottom.
- Border has 92 sts, with 3 sc at each of the 8 outer corners.
- Inner corners are sharp, not puckered.
- 2 cream flowers, 1 pink flower, 1 bud and 4 leaves are firmly attached.
- No sewing stitches show on the back.
- All ends are woven in.
- Jump ring is fully closed and sits at top center.
Troubleshooting
Stem is off-center. Recount Row 5. You should sl st in 4 sts, start the sc in the 4th st, and leave exactly 3 sts unworked.
Top bar is longer on one side. Check that you worked 3 sc into the chain and exactly 3 fsc.
Border ruffles. You probably added extra sts on the sides, or your tension loosened. Work only 1 sc per row end.
Border pulls or cups. Make sure every outer corner has 3 sc, and loosen your tension slightly.
Inner corners look rounded. Pull the sc2tog snug and pin the corner sharply when blocking.
Petals curl up. Block them flat and tack the tips down.
Letter feels floppy. Go down a hook size; the fabric should be dense.
Care
Hand wash gently in cool water and lay flat to dry. Reshape the letter and flowers while they are damp.
Final Notes
The measurements build on each other. At 6 sts and 6 rows per inch, 14 stitches and 24 rows make a letter 2.33 in (5.9 cm) x 4 in (10.2 cm). One 92-stitch border round brings it to 2.67 in (6.8 cm) x 4.33 in (11.0 cm). If your piece matches each checkpoint, the finished keychain will come out the right size.
Happy crocheting!