This little monogram charm is a flat capital letter B worked in sage green cotton. The dense single crochet has a pebbly texture, and a smooth rolled outline sits around the outer edge and both counter openings. A small cluster of cream flowers with sunny yellow centers and two olive leaves sits on the lower-left corner.
The style is soft and cottagecore. It is made to clip onto a tote handle, a set of keys, or a gift bag. It is a quick gift project: one evening for the letter, and a little more for the flowers.
The pattern uses US crochet terms. The finished charm measures 3 in (7.6 cm) wide and 3.8 in (9.7 cm) tall, not counting the key ring.
The letter is worked flat in turned rows from the bottom up. To make each counter opening, you work the stem and the right wall separately for a few rows, then bridge the gap with a chain. One round of single crochet outlines the whole letter, and a slip stitch round neatens each opening. The flowers and leaves are made separately and sewn on, and then the hardware is attached.
Finished Size and Construction
- Finished size: 3 in (7.6 cm) wide × 3.8 in (9.7 cm) tall
- Skill level: Advanced beginner
- Terminology: US crochet terms
- Yarn weight: DK / light worsted (#3) cotton
- Hook: 3.5 mm (E-4)
- Number of pieces: 1 letter body, plus 5 small appliqués (3 flowers, 2 leaves) sewn on
- Layout: single letter, with the appliqué cluster on the lower-left corner
- Piece size: 3 in × 3.8 in (7.6 × 9.7 cm)
- Size before border: 2.6 in × 3.4 in (6.6 × 8.6 cm), which is 13 stitches by 17 rows
- Border depth: 0.2 in (0.5 cm) on every side, from one round of single crochet
Materials
Choose a smooth mercerized cotton or a soft matte cotton in DK weight. Cotton holds the crisp letter shape and stands up to daily use on a bag. Avoid fuzzy yarns, because they blur the counter openings.
- Sage green (letter): 8 g, about 18 m
- Cream (petals): 3 g, about 7 m
- Yellow (flower centers): 1 g, about 2 m
- Olive green (leaves): 2 g, about 4 m
These quantities include extra for your gauge swatch and for weaving in ends.
Tools
– 3.5 mm (E-4) crochet hook
– Tapestry needle
– 2 locking stitch markers
– Gold split key ring, 1 in (2.5 cm)
– Gold jump ring, 8 mm, and 2 pairs of flat-nose pliers
– Blocking mat, rustproof pins, and a spray bottle
– Scissors
Abbreviations (US Terms)
- ch – chain
- sl st – slip stitch
- sc – single crochet
- hdc – half double crochet
- dc – double crochet
- sc2tog – single crochet 2 together: (insert hook in next st, yarn over, pull up a loop) twice, yarn over, pull through all 3 loops
- inc – 2 sc in the same stitch
- MR – magic ring
- st(s) – stitch(es)
- RS / WS – right side / wrong side
Special term – row end: the side edge of a row. Along the sides of the letter you work 1 sc into each row end, inserting the hook under the outer strand of the edge stitch.
Stem edge and bowl edge: the stem edge is the straight left side of the B. The bowl edge is the curved right side. All shaping happens at the bowl edge.
Gauge and Checkpoints
Gauge: 20 sc and 20 rows = 4 in (10.2 cm), or 10 sc and 10 rows = 2 in (5.1 cm), worked firmly in turned rows.
Your stitches and rows need to be the same size (5 per inch). That lets you work 1 sc per row end in the border and still have it lie flat, so gauge matters more here than usual.
Before you start, make a test swatch: ch 11 and work 10 rows of 10 sc. It should measure 2 in (5.1 cm) square.
Checkpoints
– After Row 4: 13 sts = 2.6 in (6.6 cm) wide; height 0.8 in (2.0 cm)
– After Row 10: height 2 in (5.1 cm); width 12 sts = 2.4 in (6.1 cm)
– Each counter opening: 3 sts × 3 rows = 0.6 in × 0.6 in (1.5 × 1.5 cm)
– After Row 17: 2.6 in × 3.4 in (6.6 × 8.6 cm)
– After the border: 3 in × 3.8 in (7.6 × 9.7 cm)
If your piece is too big, go down to a 3.25 mm or 3 mm hook. If it is too small, go up to a 3.75 mm hook. Change the hook, not the stitch counts, because the opening positions depend on exact counts.
Letter Body
Work with sage green and turn at the end of every row. The ch 1 at the start of each row does not count as a stitch. Odd rows end at the bowl edge, and even rows begin at the bowl edge.
Foundation: Ch 12.
Row 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across. (11 sts)
Row 2: Ch 1, inc in first st, sc in next 10 sts. (12 sts)
Row 3: Ch 1, sc in next 11 sts, inc in last st. (13 sts)
Row 4: Ch 1, sc in each st across. (13 sts) The row ends at the stem edge.
Checkpoint: 2.6 in (6.6 cm) wide.
Lower Counter Opening (Rows 5–7)
Stem, Rows 5–7: Ch 1, sc in first 5 sts, turn. Work 2 more rows of 5 sc on these stitches only. (5 sts per row) At the end of Row 7 the loop is at the inner edge of the stem. Put the loop on a stitch marker and do not cut the yarn.
Leave the next 3 sts of Row 4 unworked. These form the bottom of the opening.
Wall, Rows 5–6: Join a new strand of sage with a sl st in the 9th st of Row 4, counting from the stem edge. Ch 1, then sc in the same st and the next 4 sts, ending at the bowl edge. (5 sts) Turn, ch 1, sc in 5 sts. (5 sts) Fasten off with a 6 in (15.2 cm) tail.
Row 7 (bridge): Put the marked loop back on your hook. Ch 3 to cross the opening, then sc in each of the 5 wall sts, ending at the bowl edge. Row 7 now has 5 stem sc + 3 ch + 5 wall sc. The stem has 3 rows and the wall has 3 rows (2 wall rows + the bridge row), so both sides are level.
Row 8: Ch 1, sc2tog, sc in next 3 sts, sc in each of the 3 ch, sc in next 5 sts. (12 sts) The sc2tog starts rounding the lower bowl.
Row 9: Ch 1, sc in next 10 sts, sc2tog. (11 sts) This is the waist notch: 2.2 in (5.6 cm) wide.
Row 10: Ch 1, inc in first st, sc in next 10 sts. (12 sts)
Checkpoint: 2 in (5.1 cm) tall, 2.4 in (6.1 cm) wide.
Upper Counter Opening (Rows 11–13)
Stem, Rows 11–13: Ch 1, sc in first 5 sts, turn. Work 2 more rows of 5 sc. (5 sts per row) Put the loop on a marker.
Leave the next 3 sts of Row 10 unworked.
Wall, Rows 11–12: Join sage in the 9th st of Row 10, counting from the stem edge. Ch 1, then sc in the same st and the next 3 sts. (4 sts) Turn, ch 1, sc in 4 sts. (4 sts) Fasten off with a 6 in (15.2 cm) tail. The upper wall is 1 st narrower than the lower wall, so the upper bowl comes out narrower.
Row 13 (bridge): Put the marked loop back on your hook. Ch 3, then sc in each of the 4 wall sts. Row 13 has 5 stem sc + 3 ch + 4 wall sc.
Row 14: Ch 1, sc in next 4 sts, sc in each of the 3 ch, sc in next 5 sts. (12 sts)
Row 15: Ch 1, sc in each st across. (12 sts)
Row 16: Ch 1, sc2tog, sc in next 10 sts. (11 sts)
Row 17: Ch 1, sc in next 9 sts, sc2tog. (10 sts)
Do not fasten off. The loop is at the top of the bowl edge.
Checkpoint: 2.6 in × 3.4 in (6.6 × 8.6 cm). Weave the two wall tails in now, on the WS.
Flowers (Make 3)
Large flower (make 1): 1 in (2.5 cm) across.
– Rnd 1 (yellow): MR, 10 sc in ring. Pull the ring closed and join with a sl st to the first sc. (10 sts) Fasten off.
– Rnd 2 (cream): Join in any st. (Hdc, 2 dc, hdc) in next st, sl st in next st 5 times. (5 petals: 20 petal sts + 5 sl st) Fasten off with an 8 in (20.3 cm) tail.
Small flower (make 2): 0.75 in (1.9 cm) across.
– Rnd 1 (yellow): MR, 5 sc in ring, join. (5 sts) Fasten off.
– Rnd 2 (cream): Join with a sl st in any st. (Ch 2, 2 dc, ch 2, sl st) in the same st, sl st in next st 4 times, then (ch 2, 2 dc, ch 2, sl st) in the last st. (5 petals, 1 per st) Fasten off with an 8 in (20.3 cm) tail.
Pull each yellow tail to the back and weave it in, so only cream tails remain for sewing.
Leaves (Make 2)
Each leaf is 1 in (2.5 cm) long and 0.5 in (1.3 cm) wide. Use olive green.
Ch 8.
– Side 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook, hdc in next ch, dc in next 2 ch, hdc in next ch, sc in next ch. (6 sts)
– Tip: In the last ch, work (sc, ch 2, sl st in 2nd ch from hook, sc). This makes a small pointed picot.
– Side 2: Rotate and work into the opposite loops of the foundation: sc in next ch, hdc in next ch, dc in next 2 ch, hdc in next ch, sc in next ch. (6 sts) Sl st in the base of the first sc.
Fasten off with an 8 in (20.3 cm) tail. Thread the tail onto your needle and work one long straight stitch from base to tip for the center vein.
Border
Border gauge: the border uses the same gauge as the body: 1 sc per stitch along the top and bottom, and 1 sc per row end along the sides. It adds 0.2 in (0.5 cm) on every side.
Rnd 1 (sage): Continue from the live loop at the end of Row 17. Ch 1 and rotate the piece to work down the bowl edge.
– Bowl side: Sc in row ends 17 to 10 (8 sc), sl st in row end 9, sc in row ends 8 to 1 (8 sc). (17 sts) The sl st pulls in the waist notch.
– Bottom edge: Working into the foundation chain, 3 sc in the first ch (bowl corner), sc in next 9 ch, 3 sc in the last ch (stem corner). (15 sts)
– Stem side: Sc in row ends 1 to 17. (17 sts)
– Top edge: 3 sc in the first st of Row 17 (stem corner), sc in next 8 sts, 3 sc in the last st (bowl corner, the stitch where you started). (14 sts)
– Join with a sl st to the first sc. (63 sts total: 17 + 15 + 17 + 14)
Fasten off with a 6 in (15.2 cm) tail and weave it in.
Counter edging (each opening): Join sage with a sl st at a bottom corner of the opening. Work loose sl sts around the opening: 3 in the unworked sts along the bottom, 3 in the row ends up the wall, 3 in the bridge ch along the top, and 3 in the row ends down the stem. (12 sl st) Join, fasten off, and weave in. Keep these sl sts loose so the opening stays 0.6 in (1.5 cm) across and does not shrink.
Why the math works: The top edge has 10 sts and the bottom has 11. Each gets 1 sc per stitch, and the 2 extra sc in each 3-sc corner group turn the corner. Each side has 17 rows and gets 17 border stitches. Because the gauge is square (5 sts and 5 rows per inch), 17 sc along 17 rows lies flat without ruffling or cupping. The border adds 0.2 in (0.5 cm) at each edge: 2.6 in + 0.4 in = 3 in (7.6 cm) wide, and 3.4 in + 0.4 in = 3.8 in (9.7 cm) tall.
Final Blocking
- Lightly mist the letter with water until it is damp, not soaked.
- Lay it RS up on the blocking mat.
- Using the mat grid, pin the four corners to 3 in × 3.8 in (7.6 × 9.7 cm).
- Pin the waist notch inward slightly so the two bowls stand out clearly.
- Place a pin inside each counter opening to open it to 0.6 in (1.5 cm).
- Let it dry completely, at least 4 hours.
- Block the flowers and leaves flat at the same time, pinning each leaf tip into a point.
- When everything is dry, attach the appliqués:
- Lay the 2 leaves on the lower-left corner. Point one up and out from the stem around Rows 7–9, and point the other down and out at the bottom-stem corner.
- Place the large flower over the stem around Rows 3–6, overlapping both leaf bases.
- Place one small flower above it, near Rows 8–10, and the other to its lower right, near Rows 1–3.
- Sew each piece on with small stitches through the back loops, then weave in all tails on the WS.
- Open the jump ring sideways with pliers. Pass it through the top border about 0.4 in (1.0 cm) in from the stem corner, add the key ring, and close the jump ring tightly.
Final Quality-Control Checklist
- Letter measures 3 in × 3.8 in (7.6 × 9.7 cm)
- Border has 63 sts, and the corners are sharp but flat
- Waist notch is visible on the bowl edge
- Both counter openings are open and about 0.6 in (1.5 cm) across
- Upper bowl is slightly narrower than the lower bowl
- 3 flowers and 2 leaves are firmly sewn on, with no loose petals
- Jump ring is fully closed, with no gap for the yarn to slip through
- All tails are woven in on the WS
Troubleshooting
- Edges ripple: Your rows are shorter than your stitches are wide. Skip 1 row end on each side of the border.
- Border cups or pulls in: Add 1 extra sc on each side, or loosen your tension.
- Openings closed up: The counter sl sts were too tight. Undo them and rework with a larger hook.
- Stem and wall uneven at the bridge: Recount. The stem needs 3 rows, and the wall needs 2 rows plus the bridge row.
- Petals curl forward: Steam-block them flat before sewing.
- Charm feels floppy: Go down one hook size for a denser fabric.
Care
Hand wash in cool water, press the water out in a towel, and dry flat, reshaping the letter. Keep the metal hardware dry where you can.
Final Notes
The measurement chain is simple. A 2 in (5.1 cm) gauge square of 10 sc and 10 rows gives a body of 2.6 in × 3.4 in (6.6 × 8.6 cm). One border round adds 0.2 in (0.5 cm) on each side, for a finished letter of 3 in × 3.8 in (7.6 × 9.7 cm). If each checkpoint matches, your B will match too. The same row-and-opening method works for other letters with rounded bowls.
Happy crocheting!