by Crocheting a sunflower keychain is a fantastic way to bring a little bit of sunshine and cheer into your daily life! It’s a quick, beginner-friendly project that allows you to practice essential techniques like working in the round, color changes, and basic shaping. These keychains make adorable gifts or charming additions to your own keys or bag.
Given that it’s currently warm in Phnom Penh, the best yarn choices for this project are those that are durable and have good stitch definition without being too fuzzy or heavy.
Choosing the Right Yarn for a Sunflower Keychain
For a small, detailed item like a keychain that will likely see some wear, your yarn choice is important:
- 100% Cotton Yarn: This is highly recommended. Cotton offers excellent stitch definition, which means your petals and center will look crisp and well-defined. It’s also durable, won’t stretch out easily, and is generally machine washable, making it practical for a keychain.
- Smooth Acrylic Yarn: A good quality acrylic yarn also works well. It comes in a vast array of colors (perfect for vibrant sunflowers!), is affordable, and easy to work with. Choose a smooth variety that doesn’t split easily.
- Yarn Weight: Worsted Weight (Aran / Medium / Category 4) is ideal for this project. It’s thick enough to work up quickly and hold its shape, but not so bulky that the keychain becomes unwieldy.
How to Crochet a Sunflower Keychain: A Detailed Tutorial
This pattern will guide you through creating a charming sunflower with a dark center and bright yellow petals, which are then assembled.
1. Essential Materials You’ll Need
- Yarn:
- Dark Brown or Black Yarn: For the sunflower’s center. Worsted Weight.
- Bright Yellow Yarn: For the petals. Worsted Weight.
- Green Yarn (optional, for leaf): A small amount. Worsted Weight.
- You’ll only need small amounts of each color, making this a perfect scrap yarn project!
- Crochet Hook: A 3.0mm (US C/2) or 3.5mm (US E/4) hook. For small amigurumi-style projects like this, a slightly smaller hook creates a denser fabric that helps the sunflower hold its shape and prevents stuffing from showing through (though we won’t be stuffing this one much).
- Scissors: For cutting yarn.
- Yarn Needle (Tapestry Needle): Essential for weaving in ends and assembling the sunflower.
- Stitch Marker (Optional but helpful): To mark the beginning of rounds.
- Keychain Ring/Split Ring: The hardware to make it a keychain!
2. Basic Crochet Stitches You’ll Use
This project focuses on fundamental crochet stitches, primarily working in the round:
- Magic Ring (MR) / Adjustable Ring: (Highly Recommended!) Creates a tight, hole-free center for your sunflower. Alternatively, you can
ch 2, then work all stitches of Round 1 into the 2nd ch from the hook. - Chain (ch): For foundation and petal shaping.
- Slip Stitch (sl st): For joining rounds and starting/ending petals.
- Single Crochet (sc): Creates a dense fabric, ideal for the sunflower’s center.
- Half Double Crochet (hdc): A medium-height stitch, used in petals.
- Double Crochet (dc): A taller stitch, used in petals.
- Fasten Off: To securely end your work.
- Weaving in Ends: Hiding yarn tails for a neat and professional finish.
Crochet Sunflower Keychain Pattern
This pattern creates a sunflower approximately 2.5-3 inches (6-7.5 cm) in diameter.
Abbreviations (US Crochet Terms):
- MR: Magic Ring
- ch: chain
- sl st: slip stitch
- sc: single crochet
- hdc: half double crochet
- dc: double crochet
- st(s): stitch(es)
(...): work stitches into the same stitch or space[...]: repeat instructions in brackets- FO: Fasten off
Part 1: Sunflower Center (Make 1)
Use Dark Brown or Black yarn. We’ll work in continuous rounds, but you can join with a slip stitch at the end of each round if you prefer.
- Round 1: Create a MR. Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch). Work 6 sc into the MR. (6 sc)
- Place your stitch marker in the first sc. Move it up to the first stitch of each new round if working in a spiral.
- Round 2: Inc sc in each st around. (12 sc)
- Round 3:
*Sc in the next st, inc sc in the next st.*Repeat from*to*around. (18 sc)- Fasten off, leaving a tail for weaving in.
- Weave in the starting tail from the Magic Ring to fully close the center if needed.
Part 2: Sunflower Petals (Adding to the Center)
Now we’ll add the bright yellow petals directly to the finished center.
- Rejoin Bright Yellow yarn with a sl st into any stitch around the edge of your finished dark center.
- Row 1 (Petals):
*Ch 2. Work (hdc, dc) into the same stitch where you joined.- Dc in the next stitch.
- Work (dc, hdc) in the next stitch.
- Ch 2. Sl st into the next stitch.
* - Repeat from
*to*around the entire edge of the dark center. You should make 6 petals in total. - After making the last petal, sl st to the very first sl st you made when joining the yellow yarn.
- Fasten off Yellow yarn, leaving a long tail (about 10-12 inches / 25-30 cm) for assembly.
Part 3: Optional Leaf (Make 1)
If you’d like a little green leaf on your sunflower.
Use Green yarn.
- Ch 6.
- Row 1:Sl st in the 2nd ch from hook. Sc in the next ch. Hdc in the next ch. Dc in the next ch. Hdc in the last ch.
- FO, leaving a long tail for sewing.
- This creates a simple leaf shape.
Part 4: Assembly
- Weave in Center Ends: Ensure the starting and ending tails from your dark center are neatly woven in.
- Shape Petals: Gently pull and flatten your petals to give them a nice shape.
- Attach Leaf (Optional): Using your yarn needle and the tail from the green leaf, sew the leaf to the backside of one of the petals, usually at the bottom or side, where it would naturally emerge from a stem. Securely knot and weave in the tail.
- Attach Keychain Ring:
- Using your yarn needle and the long yellow tail from your petals (or a new piece of yellow yarn if your tail is too short), thread it through a sturdy stitch at the very top center of your sunflower (between two petals).
- Thread both ends of this yarn piece through your keychain ring.
- Tie the yarn ends securely in a double knot, ensuring the keychain ring is firmly attached. Trim any excess yarn.
- If you used a new piece of yarn, weave the remaining tails into the back of the sunflower.
5. Finishing Your Sunflower Keychain
- Weave in All Ends NEATLY: This is crucial for a polished, professional look, especially for an item that will be handled frequently. Go back and forth through stitches several times to ensure they are hidden and won’t unravel.
- Steam Blocking (Optional): For a truly flat and even sunflower, you can lightly steam it (without touching the yarn directly) and then lay it flat to dry, gently shaping the petals. This will make your stitches more uniform.
You’ve now created a bright and cheerful crochet sunflower keychain! It’s a wonderful little accessory that’s sure to bring a smile. What other cheerful keychains might you try to crochet?
