This little letter M keychain is a flat teal panel with a crisp mustard edge and a tiny sunflower on one leg. It works up quickly, it’s easy to personalize, and it’s sturdy enough to clip onto a bag, a key ring, or a zipper pull.
The letter is deep teal. Mustard yellow is used for the border, the hanging loop, and the petals. The flower center is chocolate brown, and the two small leaves are soft sage green. The teal body is worked in a simple mini mesh of single crochet and chain-1 spaces. The chain spaces stack into a neat grid of tiny holes, which gives the letter its textured, slightly airy look.
This pattern uses US crochet terms. The finished keychain measures about 3 in wide x 3 1/4 in tall (7.6 x 8.3 cm), not counting the split ring.
Construction is simple. You work two short legs separately, join them into one wide panel, and then split the top into two peaks. One round of mustard single crochet outlines the whole letter. A chain loop holds the ring, and the sunflower and leaves are sewn on last.
Finished Size and Construction
- Finished size: 3 in wide x 3 1/4 in tall (7.6 x 8.3 cm)
- Skill level: Advanced beginner
- Terminology: US
- Yarn weight: DK (light, #3) cotton
- Hook: 3.25 mm (US D-3)
- Number of pieces: 1 letter panel, plus 1 sunflower and 2 leaves sewn on as appliqués
- Layout: Single piece, with no panels to join
- Letter size before border: 2 3/4 in wide x 3 in tall (7.0 x 7.6 cm)
- Border depth: 1/8 in (0.3 cm) on every edge
- Sunflower: about 1 in (2.5 cm) across
- Leaves: about 3/4 x 3/8 in (1.9 x 1.0 cm) each
Materials
Use a smooth mercerized or soft matte cotton in DK weight. Cotton holds its shape on a keychain, doesn’t pill much, and shows the mesh texture clearly. Avoid fuzzy yarns, because they hide the holes and blur the outline of the letter.
- Teal (letter body): 10 g, about 24 m
- Mustard (border, loop, petals): 6 g, about 14 m
- Brown (flower center): 2 g, about 5 m
- Sage green (leaves): 2 g, about 5 m
These amounts include a margin for a gauge check, yarn tails, and one restart.
Tools:
- 3.25 mm (US D-3) crochet hook
- Tapestry needle
- 1 in (2.5 cm) gold split key ring
- Scissors
- Stitch markers (2)
- Blocking mat and rustproof pins
- Spray bottle with water
- Ruler or tape measure
Abbreviations (US Terms)
- ch – chain
- sc – single crochet
- hdc – half double crochet
- dc – double crochet
- sl st – slip stitch
- sk – skip
- sp – space
- st(s) – stitch(es)
- RS / WS – right side / wrong side
Special stitch: Mini Mesh. Work sc in each sc and ch 1 over each ch-1 sp. Each sc counts as 1 st, and each ch-1 sp counts as 1 st. Every row starts and ends with an sc, so every row count is odd. The sc always sit on sc and the chains always sit over chains, so the holes line up in straight vertical columns.
Mesh row (used throughout): Ch 1 (does not count as a st), turn, sc in first sc, ch 1, sk ch-1 sp, sc in next sc; repeat from * across.
Gauge and Checkpoints
Gauge: 11 sts and 12 rows = 2 in (5.1 cm) in Mini Mesh.
That’s 5.5 sts and 6 rows per inch. Your first leg is your gauge test, so make it first and measure it before going on.
Checkpoints:
- Leg after Row 6: 5 sts wide = about 7/8 in (2.2 cm)
- Leg after Row 7: 7 rows tall = about 1 1/8 in (2.9 cm)
- Panel after Row 8: 15 sts wide = 2 3/4 in (7.0 cm)
- Panel after Row 15: 2 1/2 in (6.4 cm) tall
- Letter after Row 18: 2 3/4 x 3 in (7.0 x 7.6 cm)
If your leg is too big, switch to a 3.0 mm hook. If it’s too small, switch to a 3.5 mm (US E-4) hook. Width matters most, because the border counts assume 5 sts per leg and 15 sts across.
Letter M Body
Use teal. Odd-numbered rows are RS rows and run right to left when the RS faces you.
Right Leg
Row 1 (RS): Ch 6, sc in 2nd ch from hook, ch 1, sk next ch, sc in next ch; rep from * once more. (5 sts: 3 sc, 2 ch-1 sps)
Rows 2–6: Work the Mesh row. (5 sts)
On this leg, the right edge is the outer edge. The left edge, where odd rows end, is the inner edge.
Row 7 (RS, increase): Ch 1, turn, sc in first sc, ch 1, sk ch-1 sp, sc in next sc; rep from * once more, but work the final sc as (sc, ch 1, sc) in the last sc. (7 sts: 5 worked 1-per-existing-st + 2 added at the inner edge)
Fasten off.
Left Leg
Rows 1–6: Work the same as Right Leg Rows 1–6. (5 sts)
On this leg, the inner edge is the right edge, where odd rows begin.
Row 7 (RS, increase): Ch 1, turn, (sc, ch 1, sc) in first sc, ch 1, sk ch-1 sp, sc in next sc; rep from * once more. (7 sts: 5 worked 1-per-existing-st + 2 added at the inner edge)
Don’t fasten off. The yarn is now at the outer left edge.
Joining Row and Upper Body
Row 8 (WS, joining): Ch 1, turn, and work the Mesh row across all 7 sts of the Left Leg. Ch 1. Then, with the Right Leg’s RS also facing away from you, sc in the first (inner) sc of Right Leg Row 7 and continue the Mesh row across. (15 sts: 7 + 1 + 7)
The single ch-1 bridges the 1-st gap and closes the bottom notch into a narrow point. Below it, the notch is 5 sts (7/8 in / 2.2 cm) wide for 6 rows and then 1 st wide at Row 7. This stepped shape forms the pointed inner arch of the M.
Rows 9–15: Work the Mesh row. (15 sts)
Check: the panel should be 2 3/4 in (7.0 cm) wide and 2 1/2 in (6.4 cm) tall.
