Row 19: Repeat Row 15. (7 sts)
Rows 20–21: Ch 1, sc 7, turn. (7 sts)
Fasten off.
Right Upper Leg
Row 14 (WS): With the WS facing, skip the 4 unworked center sts of Row 13 after the left leg. Join beige in the 12th st. Ch 1, sc in the same st and in the next 6 sts, turn. (7 sts)
Rows 15–21: Work as for the left upper leg Rows 15–21. (7 sts)
Fasten off.
The left leg now has 3 puffs (Rows 11, 15, 19) and the right leg has 5 (Rows 3, 7, 11, 15, 19). Checkpoint: 3.0 x 3.5 in (7.6 x 8.9 cm).
Beige Edging Round
This round frames the letter in beige before the green border goes on. It also evens out the row ends. Work 1 sc per row end. At outer corners, work 3 sc in the corner st. Do not add or remove stitches at the 4 inner corners.
Rnd 1 (RS): Join beige in the first st of Row 21 on the right upper leg (top outer corner). Ch 1 and work around as follows:
- Top of right leg: 3 sc in the same st, sc 5, 3 sc in the last st. (11)
- Upper gap: 8 sc down the inner edge of the right upper leg, sc in each of the 4 unworked sts of Row 13, then 8 sc up the inner edge of the left upper leg. (20)
- Top of left leg: 3 sc in the first st, sc 5, 3 sc in the last st. (11)
- Outer left side: 21 sc, 1 in each row end. (21)
- Bottom of left leg (working into the foundation ch): 3 sc in the first ch, sc 5, 3 sc in the last ch. (11)
- Lower gap: 8 sc up the left inner edge, 4 sc into the underside of the Row 9 chains, then 8 sc down the right inner edge. (20)
- Bottom of right leg: 3 sc in the first ch, sc 5, 3 sc in the last ch. (11)
- Outer right side: 21 sc. (21)
Sl st to the first sc. Fasten off.
Total: 126 sts (11 + 20 + 11 + 21 + 11 + 20 + 11 + 21).
Checkpoint: 3.25 x 3.75 in (8.3 x 9.5 cm).
Christmas Tree Appliqué
With green, ch 8.
Row 1 (RS): Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across, turn. (7 sts)
Row 2: Ch 1, sc 7, turn. (7 sts)
Row 3: Ch 1, sc2tog, sc 3, sc2tog, turn. (5 sts)
Row 4: Ch 1, sc 5, turn. (5 sts)
Row 5: Ch 1, sc2tog, sc 1, sc2tog, turn. (3 sts)
Row 6: Ch 1, sc3tog. (1 st)
Fasten off and leave a 12 in (30.5 cm) tail. The tree measures about 1.2 in wide x 1.0 in tall (3.0 x 2.5 cm).
Star Appliqué
With cream, make a magic ring.
Rnd 1: Ch 1, 5 sc in the ring, then sl st to the first sc. (5 sts)
Rnd 2: Ch 3, sl st in 2nd ch from hook, sc in the next ch, sl st in the next sc of Rnd 1. Repeat from * to * 4 more times. (5 points)
Fasten off and leave an 8 in (20.3 cm) tail. The star measures about 0.5 in (1.3 cm) across.
Border
Border gauge: Each green round adds about 1/8 in (0.3 cm) per side. The two rounds together add 1/4 in (0.6 cm) per side.
Rnd 2 (green): Join green in the center sc of the top-right corner group. Ch 1 and work 3 sc in the same st. Then sc in each st around, working 3 sc in the center sc of each of the 8 outer corner groups. Sl st to the first sc.
Total: 142 sts (126 + 16). Counts per edge:
– Each leg top and leg bottom: 15 (4 edges = 60)
– Each outer side: 21 (2 sides = 42)
– Each gap: 20 (2 gaps = 40)
Rnd 3 (green): Ch 1. Working from left to right, rev sc in each st around. (142 sts) Sl st to the first st and fasten off.
Why the math works: Each outer corner needs 2 extra stitches per round to turn without cupping, so 8 corners x 2 = 16. The straight edges stay 1:1. The inner corners get no extra stitches, because extras there would ruffle into the gaps. Rnd 3 is a 1:1 trim round, so the count stays at 142.
Checkpoint: 3.75 x 4.25 in (9.5 x 10.8 cm).
Final Blocking
- Weave in all ends on the body, but keep the appliqué tails.
- Pin the H RS up to 3.75 x 4.25 in (9.5 x 10.8 cm). Place pins at all 8 outer corners and at the 4 inner corners.
- Check that the gaps are square and the crossbar is level.
- Mist lightly with water. Don’t press the puffs flat.
- Let it dry completely.
- Sew the tree to the left lower leg, centered on the leg, with its base about 2 rows above the leg bottom (covering roughly Rows 2–7). Whipstitch around the edges with the green tail.
- With red, make 3 French knots on the tree: one near the center of Row 4 and one near each end of Row 2.
- Sew the star over the tip of the tree so it overlaps the leg fabric above it.
- Open the jump ring with pliers and thread it through the center of the left leg’s top edge, catching the green and beige rounds. Close it securely and add the keyring and chain.
Final Quality-Control Checklist
- Final size is 3.75 x 4.25 in (9.5 x 10.8 cm).
- The legs are 1.2 in (3.0 cm) wide and the gaps are 0.7 in (1.8 cm) wide.
- The crossbar sits at exact mid-height.
- The left leg has 3 visible puffs and the right leg has 5, all popping to the RS.
- Rnd 1 has 126 sts; Rnds 2 and 3 have 142 sts each.
- The corners lie flat, with no ruffling at the inner corners.
- The appliqués are sewn down on all edges.
- The jump ring is fully closed.
Troubleshooting
- Puffs sink to the back: Push each puff forward before working the WS row, and work that row’s stitch into the puff top firmly.
- Puffs look flat: Pull the loops up a little taller.
- Side edges wave: Your row ends are loose. Work the edging with a 2.5 mm hook.
- Inner corners pucker: Replace the 2 stitches at the corner with an sc2tog on Rnd 2 only. The count drops by 1 per corner.
- Corners curl: Make sure the 3-sc groups are in the center stitch.
- Crossbar is crooked: Check that both legs had the RS facing in Row 9.
- Tree is bulky: Whipstitch through the back loops only.
Care
Spot clean with mild soap and cool water, then reshape and air dry flat. Don’t machine wash, because the hardware can scratch the fabric.
Final Notes
The measurement chain is simple:
– 7-stitch legs at 1.2 in (3.0 cm)
– Body at 3.0 x 3.5 in (7.6 x 8.9 cm)
– Edging at 3.25 x 3.75 in (8.3 x 9.5 cm)
– Finished keychain at 3.75 x 4.25 in (9.5 x 10.8 cm)
Check each stage and the finished letter will match. Happy crocheting!
