Keychains are the best thing a beginner can crochet. They are finished in an evening, they use the yarn you already have, and unlike a scarf, someone actually carries yours around in public.
Here are fifteen free patterns, every single one with a full video tutorial. I start with my own because it is the easiest of the lot, then work through hearts, fruit, animals and flowers. All of them use scrap yarn.
What you need for almost all of these
Worsted or sport weight yarn in any colour · a 2.5 mm to 4 mm hook · a little stuffing · a yarn needle · keyring hardware (lobster clasps or ball chains, a few cents each online). None of these use more than a few metres of yarn.
15 Free Crochet Keychain Patterns
1. Free Crochet German Flag Keychain — my own pattern
Designer: ICHRAQCREA (that’s me) · Absolute beginner · full free written pattern here · Watch on YouTube ↗
I am starting with my own because it is genuinely the easiest keychain on this list. Six rows of single crochet, two colour changes, no sewing, no stuffing, no safety eyes. If you have never finished a project before, finish this one — it takes under an hour and the same six rows give you the Dutch, Austrian, Hungarian, Bulgarian and Russian flags just by swapping colours.
2. Amigurumi Heart Keychain
Designer: Tuba Crochet · Beginner · no-sew assembly · Watch on YouTube ↗
Two small L-shaped pieces joined together — that is the whole construction, and it is far easier than the round amigurumi heart most people attempt first. Red is the obvious choice but a cream one on a brown leather bag looks much more expensive than it is.
I made this one with a 3.0 mm hook and 100% acrylic yarn. It took me about 25 minutes. Stuff it lightly — a heart that is packed too full loses its shape.
3. Strawberry Keychain
Designer: Mariska Vos — DIY Fluffies · Beginner · free written pattern on her blog · Watch on YouTube ↗
She gives two sizes: a 2-inch keychain in sport weight and a 4-inch plushie. Make the small one. Sport-weight cotton on a 2.5 mm hook gives tight stitches so the stuffing never shows through — that is the detail that separates a keychain that sells from one that does not.
I used cotton yarn for this one so the red stays bright after a few weeks on a bag. The written pattern is free on her site, which helps if you prefer reading over watching.
4. No-Sew Strawberry
Designer: Amigurumi_Joys · Beginner · no sewing at all · Watch on YouTube ↗
Same fruit, completely different method: the leaves are worked straight onto the berry so there is nothing to attach. If sewing parts on crooked is what puts you off amigurumi, this is your pattern. Twenty minutes once you have done one.
This is the one I hand to a complete beginner. Everything is worked in one piece, so there is no sewing and nothing can come apart later.
5. Mochi Cat Keychain
Designer: Monua DIY · Beginner · no-sew · written pattern in the pinned comment · Watch on YouTube ↗
The most-made keychain on YouTube right now and for good reason — it is a ball with two ears and a tail, and it still looks like a cat. The ears go between rounds 3 and 5; put them higher and it turns into a bear, which is honestly also cute.
I made this one with a 3.0 mm hook and 100% acrylic yarn. Go one hook size down from your yarn label here — with loose stitches the stuffing shows through the white face.
6. Mini Mushroom
Designer: MummaJ Crochet · Beginner · tiny · Watch on YouTube ↗
Toadstools are the single most reliable seller at craft fairs after gnomes. The cap is worked separately and stuffed lightly — overstuff it and it goes spherical instead of domed, which is the one mistake to avoid here.
This is my favourite scrap-yarn project. I make three or four in an evening from leftovers and keep them in a jar for last-minute gifts.
7. Octopus Bag Charm
Designer: Yarn Symphony · Advanced beginner · Watch on YouTube ↗
The curly tentacles are made by working two or three stitches into every chain, which forces the spiral. It looks like magic the first time. Count your chains carefully though — one chain too few on one leg and it hangs lopsided forever.
The body is quick, the legs are what take the time. I put a film on while I make them. Expect around two hours for your first one.
8. Cloud and Star Pair
Designer: Ngochan Crochet · Beginner · two charms in one video · Watch on YouTube ↗
Two charms in one tutorial, and together they look far better than either alone. Pale blue cloud, cream star, both on the same clasp. This is the set I would make first if I wanted something to photograph for Instagram.
You get two charms from one video, which is good value for your time. I hung mine together on the same chain and it looks like a set.
9. Puffy Star Keychain
Designer: Knitting World · Beginner · Watch on YouTube ↗
A flat five-point star worked in the round, stuffed just enough to keep the points sharp. Cotton rather than acrylic here — acrylic points go soft and droopy within a week of being in a pocket.
Stuff this one firmly. The points go flat if you are shy with the filling, and a flat star does not read as a star from a distance.
10. Sunflower Keychain
Designer: DidyToys · Beginner · about 30 minutes · Watch on YouTube ↗
Twelve petals around a brown bobble centre. The petals are worked in rows of the same three stitches repeated, so once you have done two you can do the other ten without looking. Perfect yellow-scrap project.
I made this one with a 3.0 mm hook and 100% acrylic yarn. Keep the brown centre tight — if it gapes, the whole flower looks unfinished.
11. Hibiscus Flower
Designer: Kukkacrochet By Putri · Advanced beginner · pattern in the pinned comment · Watch on YouTube ↗
The prettiest thing on this list and the only one that needs treble crochet. The pistil is a long chain with a tiny bobble at the end — fiddly, worth it. She wrote the entire pattern out in the pinned comment, so read it through before you start.
This is the only pattern on the list that uses trebles, so leave it until you are comfortable with that stitch. The petals are worth it.
12. Lily of the Valley Bag Charm
Designer: Crochet with Mai · Beginner · very little yarn · Watch on YouTube ↗
Little white bells hanging off a green stem. It uses almost no yarn and it is the most on-trend charm in this whole roundup — the cottagecore bag-charm wave is still climbing on Pinterest.
I slipped a pipe cleaner inside the stem so the bells stay upright instead of drooping. It takes thirty seconds and changes how it hangs.
13. Lavender Bouquet Keychain
Designer: Crochet Everyday · Beginner · Watch on YouTube ↗
A small bunch of lavender stems tied together. Each stem is a chain with bobbles worked along it, so you can make the bouquet as full as you like. Use two close shades of purple rather than one — it reads as real lavender instead of flat.
Repetitive, but in a relaxing way. The little flowers are all the same, so once you have made two your hands do the rest on their own.
14. Butterfly Bell Flower Charm
Designer: do with reyhane · Beginner · Watch on YouTube ↗
A butterfly perched on a bell flower, both tiny. The butterfly on its own is a five-minute make, which makes it the perfect thing to add to every other charm on this list if you want a signature.
This one comes in two parts, so make the flower first and the butterfly second. I used a lighter thread for the butterfly to keep it delicate.
15. Simple Heart Keychain
Designer: Crochet Craftsman · Absolute beginner · free PDF available · Watch on YouTube ↗
The simplest heart of the two in this roundup and the better one to teach a child or a complete beginner. Stuffed lightly, clipped on, done in twenty minutes. Make ten in different colours and you have a stall.
The fastest one on this list. I made mine in about fifteen minutes with a 3.0 mm hook and 100% acrylic yarn — a good one to start with tonight.
Three things I learned making dozens of these
Buy the hardware before the yarn
Lobster clasps, ball chains and jump rings are what make a crochet blob look like a product. A hundred of them costs about the price of one skein. Nothing ruins a good charm faster than a loop of yarn tied in a knot.
Tight stitches, small hook
Go one or two sizes down from what the yarn band says. Keychains live in pockets and get crushed; loose stitches let the stuffing show through within a week. Cotton holds its shape better than acrylic for anything you want to stay crisp.
Make the same one five times before you sell it
The fifth is always twice as fast and twice as neat as the first. That is also when you find out which parts of the pattern you can simplify — and that is how you end up designing your own.
Want the printable version?
Free patterns are wonderful until an ad reloads the page halfway through round 12. My PDF patterns are ad-free, printable, and laid out so you can tick off rounds as you go.
Browse the PDF pattern library
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More quick makes: my 12 free Christmas ornament patterns and my free Halloween patterns roundup. Same idea, different season.
Frequently asked questions
What yarn is best for crochet keychains?
Cotton in sport or DK weight. It gives tight stitches, sharp shapes and it does not pill in a pocket. Worsted acrylic is fine for bigger charms and it is cheaper, but avoid anything fluffy or chenille — the stitch definition vanishes and the charm looks like lint.
What hook size should I use?
Go one or two sizes smaller than the yarn band recommends. For sport weight cotton that means 2.5 mm, for worsted acrylic about 3.5 mm. Tight stitches are the whole point: they stop the stuffing showing through.
Where do I get the keyring hardware?
Lobster clasps, ball chains, jump rings and split rings, sold in packs of 50 or 100 online for very little. Buy a mixed pack first to work out which style you prefer before committing.
Can beginners really make these?
Yes. Everything here needs only chain, single crochet, increase and decrease — except the hibiscus, which uses treble crochet. My single crochet guide and magic ring tutorial cover what you need.
Can I sell keychains made from these patterns?
That depends on each designer, and most allow selling finished items but not reselling the pattern itself. Check the designer’s own page — every one of them is linked above. Never copy or republish the written pattern or the video.
How long does one keychain take?
Twenty minutes to an hour. The flags, hearts and stars are the fast end; the octopus and the hibiscus are closer to two hours the first time.
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Which one are you making first? Tell me in the comments, and tag @ichraq.crea if you share a photo — I repost the ones I love.