This letter H keychain has a cream base, a raised rope cable up each leg, and four tiny dusty-pink roses with sage-green leaves. A short crocheted loop at the center of the crossbar holds a gold chain and split ring. You can clip it to a bag handle, a zipper pull, or a set of keys.
The style is soft and vintage. The cream background lets the cables stand out, and the pink and green flowers add a little color at the top and bottom of each leg. A neat single crochet border finishes the edges, and the outer corners are gently rounded.
This pattern uses US crochet terms. The finished letter measures 3.25 in (8.3 cm) wide and 4 in (10.2 cm) tall, not counting the loop and hardware.
You work the H flat in rows as one single piece. First you make the lower half of each leg separately. Then you join the legs with a chain that becomes the crossbar and finish each upper leg on its own. A border round goes around the whole outline. You add the roses, leaves, and hanging loop at the end.
Finished Size and Construction
- Finished size: 3.25 in (8.3 cm) wide x 4 in (10.2 cm) tall
- Skill level: Intermediate (post stitches and a simple cable cross)
- 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, plus 4 small roses sewn on
- Layout: Two legs, each 6 sts wide, joined by a 6-st crossbar
- Piece size before border: 3 in (7.6 cm) wide x 3.75 in (9.5 cm) tall
- Border depth: 0.125 in (0.3 cm) on every edge
Materials
Use a smooth sport weight cotton, either mercerized or matte. Cotton shows cable texture clearly and keeps its shape on a keychain that gets handled every day. Avoid fuzzy or brushed yarns, which blur both the cables and the roses.
- Cream (main color): 12 g / 36 m (39 yd)
- Dusty pink (roses): 3 g / 9 m (10 yd)
- Sage green (leaves): 2 g / 6 m (7 yd)
These quantities include extra yarn for a test leg and for sewing tails.
Tools:
- 3.25 mm (US D-3) crochet hook
- Tapestry needle
- Gold split key ring, about 1 in (2.5 cm) across, with a short chain of 4-5 links
- Small pliers for opening the end chain link
- Rust-proof pins and a spray bottle for blocking
- Scissors and a ruler
Abbreviations (US Terms)
- ch – chain
- sl st – slip stitch
- sc – single crochet
- hdc – half double crochet
- fpdc – front post double crochet
- bpdc – back post double crochet
- fptr – front post treble crochet
- st(s) – stitch(es)
- RS / WS – right side / wrong side
Special stitch – Cable Cross (CC): Worked over 4 sts. Skip the next 2 sts and work 1 fptr around each of the next 2 post sts. Then, working in front of the sts you just made, work 1 fptr around each of the 2 skipped post sts. This makes a right-leaning rope twist and uses 4 sts.
Post stitch notes: Work each post st around the post st in the row below. Skip the top of the st hidden behind each post st, so each leg always has exactly 6 sts. On WS rows, the bpdc pushes the cable toward you on the RS, so it stays raised.
Gauge and Checkpoints
Gauge: 12 hdc and 8 rows = 2 in (5.1 cm) in plain hdc rows. That is 6 sts and 4 rows per inch.
Make a test leg first. Work Leg A through Row 6 and measure it before you go on. It should be 1 in (2.5 cm) wide and 1.5 in (3.8 cm) tall. Measure with the cable relaxed, not stretched. Post stitches pull the fabric in slightly, so lay the leg flat and pat it gently into shape before measuring.
Checkpoints:
- After Leg A, Row 6: 1 in (2.5 cm) x 1.5 in (3.8 cm)
- After Row 9 (crossbar complete): 3 in (7.6 cm) wide x 2.25 in (5.7 cm) tall
- After Row 15: 3 in (7.6 cm) x 3.75 in (9.5 cm)
- After the border: 3.25 in (8.3 cm) x 4 in (10.2 cm)
If the test leg is too big, change to a 3.0 mm hook. If it is too small, change to a 3.5 mm hook. Make a new test leg after any hook change. Small gauge errors add up quickly here, because the letter is 18 sts wide and 15 rows tall.
Pattern
Leg A (lower half)
Ch 8.
Row 1 (WS): Hdc in 3rd ch from hook and in each ch across, turn. (6 hdc)
Row 2 (RS): Ch 1 (does not count as a st here and throughout), hdc in first st, fpdc around each of next 4 sts, hdc in last st, turn. (6 sts: 2 hdc, 4 fpdc)
Row 3 (WS): Ch 1, hdc in first st, bpdc around each of next 4 sts, hdc in last st, turn. (6 sts)
Row 4 (RS): Ch 1, hdc in first st, CC over next 4 sts, hdc in last st, turn. (6 sts)
Row 5 (WS): Repeat Row 3. (6 sts)
Row 6 (RS): Repeat Row 2. (6 sts)
Fasten off. Check the test-leg size: 1 in (2.5 cm) x 1.5 in (3.8 cm).
Leg B (lower half)
Work Rows 1-6 exactly as for Leg A. Do not fasten off.
Crossbar Rows
Row 7 (WS): Ch 1, turn. Across Leg B: hdc in first st, bpdc around each of next 4 sts, hdc in last st. Ch 6 for the crossbar. Hold Leg A with its WS facing you and its bottom edge level with Leg B. Across Leg A: hdc in first st, bpdc around each of next 4 sts, hdc in last st, turn. (18 sts: 6 + 6 ch + 6)
Before you go on, check that neither leg is twisted. Both cables should sit on the side facing away from you.
Row 8 (RS): Ch 1, hdc in first st, CC over next 4 sts, hdc in next st, hdc in each of next 6 ch, hdc in next st, CC over next 4 sts, hdc in last st, turn. (18 sts)
Row 9 (WS): Ch 1, hdc in first st, bpdc around each of next 4 sts, hdc in each of next 8 sts, bpdc around each of next 4 sts, hdc in last st, turn. (18 sts)
Checkpoint: 3 in (7.6 cm) wide x 2.25 in (5.7 cm) tall. The opening under the crossbar is 1 in (2.5 cm) wide, the same as one leg.
Upper Leg A
Row 9 ended at the outer edge of Leg A.
Row 10 (RS): Ch 1, hdc in first st, fpdc around each of next 4 sts, hdc in next st, turn. Leave the remaining 12 sts unworked. (6 sts)
Row 11 (WS): Repeat Row 3. (6 sts)
Row 12 (RS): Repeat Row 4. (6 sts)
Row 13 (WS): Repeat Row 3. (6 sts)
Row 14 (RS): Repeat Row 2. (6 sts)
Row 15 (WS): Repeat Row 3. (6 sts)
Fasten off.
Upper Leg B
Row 10 (RS): With RS facing, skip the 6 crossbar sts next to Upper Leg A. Join cream in the next st, which is the inner edge st of Leg B. Ch 1, hdc in same st, fpdc around each of next 4 sts, hdc in last st, turn. (6 sts)
Rows 11-15: Work as for Upper Leg A. (6 sts) Fasten off.
Checkpoint: 3 in (7.6 cm) x 3.75 in (9.5 cm). Each leg has three cable crosses, on Rows 4, 8, and 12.
Border
Border gauge: Work 6 sc per inch along stitch edges. Row-end edges have 4 rows per inch, so they need 1.5 sc per row. On row ends, alternate 1 sc and 2 sc, always starting with 1 sc. That gives 9 sc over 6 rows and 22 sc over 15 rows.
Border Round (RS): Turn the letter so the RS faces you and Leg B is on the right. (Left-handed crocheters: put Leg B on the left.) Join cream with a sl st in the outer corner st of Leg B’s last row. Ch 1, then work around in this order:
- Top of Leg B: 3 sc in first st, sc in next 4 sts, 3 sc in last st. (10 sc)
- Inner edge, upper Leg B (Rows 15-10): 9 sc
- Top of crossbar: sc in each of 6 sts. (6 sc)
- Inner edge, upper Leg A (Rows 10-15): 9 sc
- Top of Leg A: 3 sc in first st, sc in next 4 sts, 3 sc in last st. (10 sc)
- Outer edge, Leg A (Rows 15-1): 22 sc
- Bottom of Leg A, in the free loops of the foundation ch: 3 sc in first, sc in next 4, 3 sc in last. (10 sc)
- Inner edge, lower Leg A (Rows 1-6): 9 sc
- Underside of crossbar, in the free loops of the 6 ch: 6 sc
- Inner edge, lower Leg B (Rows 6-1): 9 sc
- Bottom of Leg B: 3 sc in first, sc in next 4, 3 sc in last. (10 sc)
- Outer edge, Leg B (Rows 1-15): 22 sc
Sl st to first sc. (132 sc) Fasten off.
Each 10-sc count for the top and bottom of a leg includes both 3-sc corner groups. The row-end counts do not include any corner sts. At the four inner corners where the crossbar meets the legs, do not add extra sts. Keeping your tension firm there keeps the corners sharp.
Why the math works: The top and bottom of each leg are 6 sts, or 1 in (2.5 cm). The 4 extra sc in the corner groups curve around the corners without adding width. On row-end edges, 1.5 sc per row turns 4 rows per inch into 6 sc per inch, so the sides lie flat. Total: 4 x 10 + 2 x 22 + 4 x 9 + 2 x 6 = 132 sc. The border adds 0.125 in (0.3 cm) on each side. That takes the letter from 3 in x 3.75 in to 3.25 in x 4 in (8.3 cm x 10.2 cm). Each leg becomes 1.25 in (3.2 cm) wide, and the opening between the legs becomes 0.75 in (1.9 cm).
Hanging Loop
With RS facing, join cream in the 3rd of the 6 sc along the top of the crossbar. Ch 20, then sl st in the 4th sc to center the loop. Fasten off and weave in both ends securely on the WS. The loop stands about 1.5 in (3.8 cm) tall, so its top is roughly level with the tops of the legs.
Roses and Leaves
Rose (make 4, dusty pink): Ch 11. Sc in 2nd ch from hook, then 2 sc in each remaining ch. (19 sc) Fasten off and leave an 8 in (20.3 cm) tail. The strip will curl into a spiral on its own. Roll it up starting from the first end, with the stitch tops facing out. Sew through all the layers at the base to hold it. Each rose is about 0.5 in (1.3 cm) across.
Placement: On each leg, sew one rose about 0.5 in (1.3 cm) below the top edge and one about 0.5 in (1.3 cm) above the bottom edge, overlapping the cable slightly. Keep the two upper roses level with each other and the two lower roses level with each other. Pin all four in place before sewing, and check the spacing from arm’s length.
Leaves (sage green): Embroider 2 lazy-daisy leaves next to each rose, each about 0.25 in (0.6 cm) long and angled outward, for 8 leaves in total. Anchor each leaf tip with a tiny straight stitch.
Hardware: Open the end link of the gold chain with pliers. Slide it onto the crocheted loop and close it tightly.
Final Blocking
- Block before sewing on the roses if you can. If they are already attached, do not press them.
- Pin the letter RS up on a blocking mat to 3.25 in (8.3 cm) x 4 in (10.2 cm).
- Make both legs 1.25 in (3.2 cm) wide and parallel to each other.
- Pin the openings above and below the crossbar so they are even and straight.
- Mist lightly with water. Do not flatten the cables with your hands or an iron.
- Let the piece dry completely, about 2 hours, before unpinning.
Final Quality-Control Checklist
- The letter measures 3.25 in (8.3 cm) x 4 in (10.2 cm)
- Each leg shows three cable crosses, all leaning the same way
- The border has 132 sc and lies flat without ruffling
- The outer corners are rounded and the inner corners are crisp
- The four roses are placed symmetrically, each with 2 leaves
- The loop is securely attached and centered on the crossbar
- The chain link is fully closed with no gap
- All yarn ends are woven in on the WS
Troubleshooting
Cables look flat: Make sure you work bpdc, not fpdc, on WS rows. The wrong-side post stitches are what push the cable forward.
Fabric puckers beside the cable: Your fptr stitches are too short. Pull each yarn over up a little taller.
A leg has 7 stitches: You probably worked into the top of a stitch hidden behind a post stitch. Skip that stitch every time.
Crossbar pulls the legs inward: Your ch 6 is too tight. Make the chain with a hook one size larger.
Legs lean apart at the top: Rows 10-15 are looser than the lower half. Check your tension again after the crossbar.
Border ruffles along the sides: On two of the rows, work 1 sc per row end instead of 2.
Border pulls in or curls: Add 1 sc to each long outer edge, keeping both sides equal.
Rose looks flat: Roll it more tightly and sew through every layer at the base.
Care
Hand wash in cool water with mild soap, press out the extra water in a towel, and dry flat. Take the metal hardware off first if it is not tarnish-resistant.
Final Notes
Here is the measurement chain to check as you go:
- Test leg: 1 in x 1.5 in (2.5 cm x 3.8 cm)
- Joined crossbar: 3 in x 2.25 in (7.6 cm x 5.7 cm)
- Letter before border: 3 in x 3.75 in (7.6 cm x 9.5 cm)
- After the 132-sc border: 3.25 in x 4 in (8.3 cm x 10.2 cm)
If each checkpoint matches, the cables, border, roses, and loop will all line up as designed.
Happy crocheting!