Crochet Keychain Ideas: 10 Free Patterns You Can Finish Tonight
A keychain is the only crochet project I make that other people see every single day.
A plushie sits on a shelf. A scarf comes out for three months of the year. But a keychain rides around in a hand, on a bag strap, clipped to a backpack zipper, and it gets noticed constantly.
So this is the list I actually reach for. Six of these are original patterns I commissioned for Crochee, written up with step photos and free in full. The other four come from designers whose work fills a gap mine does not, and each one links straight back to them.
The Hardware Is the Part People Get Wrong
Before the patterns, one thing worth knowing, because it is the difference between a keychain that lasts a year and one that ends up under a car seat.
Use a split ring, the double-loop kind that looks like a tiny keyring. Do not use a jump ring, the single open loop sold in jewelry packs. A jump ring works itself open over a few months and drops your keys somewhere you will not find them.
Add a swivel lobster clasp if you want to move the charm between bags, or if you are tired of your keys twisting into a knot. The swivel lets the charm spin without dragging everything else around with it.
Anchor the ring to the densest part of the piece. A tight wrapped center, a stuffed base, a firm green calyx. Never a single loose stitch at the edge.
1. Crochet Bow Keychain
The fastest one here, and the one I would hand a total beginner.
It is two flat strips in basic double crochet, folded, wrapped at the center, and finished with a ring. About 20 to 30 minutes, and one 50g ball of cotton makes several.
The whole trick is working in back loops only, which is what gives it the ridged, puffy look instead of a flat rectangle. Full pattern with step photos: crochet bow keychain.
2. Tiny Turtle Keychain
This was the first keychain on Crochee and it is still the one people write to me about.
It is a proper little amigurumi turtle, about 4 inches, and the shell uses a back-loop-only round to build a visible rim where the shell meets the body. That rim is what stops it reading as a green ball with legs.
It takes 1 to 2 hours and about 5 grams of yarn, so a bag of scraps turns into a year of small gifts. Pattern here: tiny turtle keychain.
3. Luna Keychain Wristlet
Not a charm at all, which is exactly why it is on the list.
Every other pattern here is a little figure or a flower. This one is a wrist strap in linked double crochet, worsted cotton held double, and it takes about 15 minutes start to finish. It is the one to make when you want something plain, practical and not cute, or when you are making for someone who would not carry a flower on their keys.
Pattern and photo: You Should Craft. Finished it measures 5.5 inches folded and eats about 15 yards of yarn.
4. Crochet Rose Keychain
One long strip of petals, rolled into a spiral, sewn through the base.
It is the same rolled rose from my rose gajra pattern, minus the wrist tie. What surprises people is that it is genuinely beginner level. If you can chain and double crochet, the shaping does itself as you roll.
A drop of craft glue holds the roll while you sew, but the stitches do the real work. Free pattern: crochet rose keychain.
5. Heart Keychain
A heart was the obvious hole in my own set, and this is the cleanest free version I found.
What makes it worth the slot is that it is seamless. Most crochet hearts are two flat halves you sew together, and the seam is always the part that looks homemade in the bad way. This one is worked as one squishy stuffed piece, so there is nothing to join.
It runs about 3 inches wide, takes 20 yards of worsted, and finishes in half an hour on a 4.5 mm hook. Pattern and photo: Jo to the World Creations.
6. Crochet Sunflower Keychain
This is the flower keychain I get asked about most, and it is a bag charm as much as a keyring.
Two brown center discs get held together and crocheted through both layers at once, which builds a stuffable dome instead of a flat circle. Then a single petal round, two leaves, and a green cord.
Chain the cord to about 65 for a tote and it hangs low and showy. Chain 30 to 40 for keys so it sits up close. Full pattern: crochet sunflower keychain.
7. Lily the Cat
There is no mammal anywhere in my own patterns. Turtle, bee, flowers, that is the whole zoo.
This little cat closes that gap and it is genuinely quick, about an hour. The designer gives it at two sizes: a 2 inch version in sport cotton on a 2.5 mm hook, and a 6 inch chenille version on a 5 mm. The small one is the keychain size.
To hang it, you sew two folded strands of yarn into the top and thread your ring through. Pattern and photo: DIY Fluffies.
8. Bumble Bee Bag Charm
The bee is where you graduate from single-color amigurumi to stripes.
The only new skill over the turtle is the color change, and the trick is switching on the last yarn-over of the previous stitch rather than at the start of the new round. Do it that way and the stripes sit flat instead of stepping.
Its face is embroidered, not safety eyes, so it is safe to hand to a small child. About 90 minutes: bumble bee bag charm.
9. Little Star Amigurumi
The only geometric shape on the list, and a nice break from animals and flowers.
It is worked as a proper three-dimensional star rather than a flat motif, which is why it holds up as a charm instead of curling. The designer writes it for three yarn weights, so you can land anywhere between 2 and 3 inches depending on what is in your basket.
This one is genuinely intermediate, mostly for the shaping at the points. Pattern and photo: RaffamusaDesigns.
10. Lily of the Valley Bag Charm
I saved this one for last because it is the most finished-looking thing on the list.
Two bell flowers hang off a green chain cord with a leaf floating between them. The bell shape comes purely from stitch geometry, a decrease round that cinches the opening followed by a petal round that flares it back out. There is no stuffing in it at all.
The sample is worked in red, which reads more like a stylized bellflower. Swap in white for the true botanical version and nothing else changes. Pattern: lily of the valley bag charm.
Pick One by How Much Time You Have
| Pattern | Skill | Time | Hardware |
|---|---|---|---|
| Luna Wristlet | Beginner | 15 min | Split ring |
| Bow Keychain | Beginner | 20-30 min | Split ring, optional swivel |
| Heart Keychain | Easy | About 30 min | Split ring |
| Lily the Cat | Easy | About 1 hr | Ring through sewn loops |
| Rose Keychain | Beginner | 1-1.5 hr | Split ring, optional swivel |
| Bumble Bee | Easy | About 90 min | Split ring plus lobster clasp |
| Lily of the Valley | Beginner to intermediate | About 1.5 hr | Split ring plus clasp |
| Sunflower Keychain | Beginner to intermediate | 1.5-2 hr | Cord loop or clasp |
| Tiny Turtle | Intermediate | 1-2 hr | Split ring, optional swivel |
| Little Star | Intermediate | Varies by yarn | Split ring |
FAQ
What hardware do I need to make a crochet keychain?
One split key ring, around 25 mm, covers every pattern on this list. Add a swivel lobster clasp if you want to clip the charm on and off a bag. Craft shops sell both together in keychain hardware kits, and a pack of twenty costs less than a coffee.
Which of these is the easiest crochet keychain for a beginner?
The Luna wristlet, because there is no shaping at all, just one repeated stitch. If you want something that looks like a proper charm, the bow keychain is the easiest of those. Both are done inside half an hour.
Are any of these crochet keychains good for men or boys?
The wristlet is the obvious one, since it is a plain strap with no motif. The star works too if you make it in a single dark color rather than a bright yellow. The turtle in muted green or navy also reads far less cute than the photos suggest, since color does most of that work. The strongest answer since I first wrote this list is the black crochet dragon keychain, which is not cute in the slightest.
How small should a crochet keychain be?
Between 2 and 4 inches is the sweet spot. Smaller than 2 inches and it disappears in a pocket. Larger than 4 and it starts knocking against your leg when you walk. Most of these land around 3 inches.
Will a crochet keychain actually survive daily use?
Yes, with two conditions. Use cotton rather than a soft acrylic, which goes floppy and fuzzy fast on a small piece. And anchor the ring through a dense part of the piece rather than one edge stitch. A light mist of fabric stiffener helps anything with petals hold its shape.
Can I sell keychains I make from these patterns?
You can sell finished keychains made from the Crochee patterns. Please do not repost or resell the written pattern itself. For the four patterns by other designers, check each designer’s own terms on their page.
Start With the Fastest One
If you have never made a keychain before, make the bow tonight. It takes half an hour, it uses scraps, and finishing one is what makes you want to make the turtle next.
For anyone with a football fan on their list, the crochet mini jersey keychain is a real top-down sweater shrunk to keyring size, and it pairs with the soccer ball above. And if you are making one as a gift, the crochet mini pouch takes another evening and turns any keychain on this list from a craft into a present. Almost everything on this page is cute or floral, so if that is the wrong register entirely, I made a separate list of crochet keychain patterns for men.
If you are working through a whole list of people rather than one project, I sorted every free pattern on the site by which make suits which person, times included.
Save this to Pinterest so you can find it again, and browse the rest of the free keychains and charms patterns while you are here.
