How to Crochet a Mini Strawberry Keychain (Free Pattern)
If you’re looking for a quick, satisfying crochet project that makes an adorable gift or a fun accessory for your bag, this mini strawberry keychain is exactly what you need. It’s small enough to finish in a single afternoon, uses only a tiny amount of yarn, and the result is so charming that you’ll probably want to make a dozen of them. Whether you’re a beginner who has just learned the basics or an experienced crocheter looking for a low-effort project to use up scrap yarn, this free pattern is for you.
Strawberry keychains have become one of the most popular amigurumi-style accessories in the crafting community, and it’s easy to see why. They’re colorful, they’re recognizable, and that little leafy top gives them so much personality. In this tutorial, I’ll walk you through every single step, from gathering your materials to attaching the keychain hardware, so you can make one (or several) with total confidence.
What You’ll Need
Before you pick up your hook, let’s talk about materials. One of the best things about this project is that it requires almost nothing in terms of supplies, and most crafters will already have everything on hand.
Yarn: You’ll need a small amount of red or strawberry-pink yarn for the body, green yarn for the leaves and stem, and optionally a very small amount of cream or yellow yarn if you want to add a seeded texture using surface slip stitches or embroidery. Any weight of yarn will work for this pattern — I recommend worsted weight (size 4) for beginners because it’s easy to see your stitches, but DK or sport weight will give you a smaller, more delicate result if you prefer.
Hook: Match your hook size to your yarn weight. For worsted weight, a 3.5mm or 4mm hook works well. If you go with a smaller yarn, size down your hook accordingly. The key is to crochet tightly so the stuffing doesn’t show through the gaps.
Stuffing: A small pinch of polyfill or fiberfill stuffing is all you need to give the strawberry its plump, three-dimensional shape.
Yarn needle: For weaving in ends and sewing pieces together.
Scissors: Any pair will do.
Keychain ring or lobster clasp: You can find these at any craft store or online in bulk packs. A simple split ring works perfectly.
Stitch marker: Optional but helpful for keeping track of your rounds.
That’s it! Now let’s talk about the stitches you’ll need to know.
Stitches and Abbreviations Used
This pattern uses standard US crochet terminology.
MR — Magic ring (also called magic circle). This is how you’ll begin both the strawberry body and the leaf top. If you’re not comfortable with a magic ring yet, you can substitute a chain 2 and work your starting stitches into the second chain from the hook.
ch — Chain
sl st — Slip stitch
sc — Single crochet
inc — Increase (two single crochets into the same stitch)
dec — Decrease (invisible decrease: insert hook into the front loop of the next stitch, then the front loop of the stitch after that, yarn over and pull through both loops, yarn over and pull through remaining two loops)
BLO — Back loop only
If you’re brand new to crochet, don’t worry. Each of these stitches is simple once you’ve practiced it a couple of times, and the strawberry is forgiving enough that small imperfections will barely show.
Pattern Notes
Work in continuous rounds unless otherwise specified — this means you don’t join at the end of each round with a slip stitch. Place a stitch marker in the first stitch of each round and move it up as you go so you always know where you are.
Crochet tightly. This is especially important with amigurumi-style projects because you want the fabric dense enough that the stuffing inside doesn’t peek through. If you find that your stitches are too loose, try going down a hook size.
Leave long tails when you fasten off so you have enough yarn to sew the pieces together cleanly.
The finished strawberry measures approximately 1.5 inches tall and 1 inch wide when made with worsted weight yarn. With DK or fingering weight, you’ll get something closer to 1 inch tall, which is a sweet little size for a keychain.
Part One: The Strawberry Body
Round 1: Using red yarn, make a magic ring. Work 6 sc into the ring. Pull the tail to close the ring. (6 stitches)
Round 2: Inc in each stitch around. (12 stitches)
Round 3: [Sc 1, inc] repeat 6 times. (18 stitches)
Round 4: [Sc 2, inc] repeat 6 times. (24 stitches)
Round 5: Sc in each stitch around. (24 stitches)
Round 6: Sc in each stitch around. (24 stitches)
Round 7: [Sc 2, dec] repeat 6 times. (18 stitches)
Round 8: [Sc 1, dec] repeat 6 times. (12 stitches)
At this point, begin stuffing the strawberry body. Add a small pinch of fiberfill and shape it gently with your fingers so it’s round and plump. Don’t overstuff — you want a slight firmness, not a hard ball.
Round 9: Dec 6 times. (6 stitches)
Fasten off, leaving a long tail. Use your yarn needle to close the remaining hole by weaving through the front loops of each remaining stitch and pulling tight, just like closing an amigurumi head. Weave the tail in securely and trim.
Your strawberry body is done. Set it aside while you work on the leaf top.
Part Two: The Leaf Top (Calyx)
The calyx is the green leafy crown that sits on top of the strawberry. It’s worked in a slightly different way — you’ll make a foundation ring and then work outward in a star shape to create the individual leaf points.
Foundation: Using green yarn, make a magic ring and work 5 sc into the ring. Do not pull the ring closed yet — leave it slightly open. (5 stitches)
You’ll now work each leaf off one of these five foundation stitches.
To make each leaf: Sl st into the next sc. Then work: ch 4, sc in second chain from hook, sc in next chain, sl st in last chain, sl st back into the same foundation sc.
Repeat this for all 5 stitches so you have 5 little leaf points radiating out from the center.
Once all five leaves are made, now pull the magic ring closed. This will draw all the leaves together and create a neat, tidy calyx shape. Sl st to join the round and fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing.
If the leaves feel a little unruly at first, don’t worry — once you sew the calyx onto the strawberry body and give it a little tug to position each leaf, it will lie flat and look perfect.
Part Three: Optional Seed Details
One of the things that makes a crocheted strawberry look especially realistic and polished is adding little seed details to the surface. There are two easy ways to do this.
The first method is embroidery. Thread a small length of cream or yellow yarn onto your needle and make short straight stitches scattered across the red body of the strawberry. Keep them small — just two or three thread widths long — and distribute them somewhat randomly, the way real strawberry seeds are arranged. Tie off and weave in the ends on the inside of the strawberry.
The second method is surface slip stitches. With your strawberry body complete and stuffed but before you close the opening at the top, you can use a small crochet hook to pull cream-colored yarn through individual stitches on the surface and work tiny surface sl sts to create seed impressions. This technique gives a slightly more raised, textured look.
Either method is completely optional. The strawberry looks charming without any seeds at all, and skipping this step keeps the project even faster.
Part Four: Assembling the Strawberry
Now it’s time to bring everything together.
Place the calyx on top of the strawberry body, centering it over the flat opening at the top. The five leaf points should radiate outward and slightly downward, framing the top of the strawberry nicely.
Using the long tail from the calyx and your yarn needle, sew the calyx to the top of the strawberry body. Work around the edge of the calyx, catching the top round of the strawberry body as you go, so the connection is secure. Take your time here — this seam will be visible, so neat stitches will give you a cleaner result. Once you’ve gone around the full circumference, tie off securely and weave all ends inside the strawberry.
Part Five: Adding the Stem and Keychain
The final step is attaching the hardware so your strawberry becomes a functional keychain.
For the stem, cut a 6-inch length of green yarn and thread it onto your needle. Push the needle down through the center of the calyx and out through the top of the strawberry, pulling the yarn most of the way through so you have a tail on each end. Then bring both ends together at the top of the calyx, tie them in a small knot close to the fabric to create a stubby little stem, and trim the ends evenly to about half an inch. This gives you that adorable little strawberry stub at the top.
Alternatively, you can crochet a small chain stem: using green yarn, make a slip knot, chain 5, fasten off, and use the tails to tie the chain onto the top of the calyx before trimming. This looks slightly more polished and holds its shape better.
To attach the keychain ring, thread the stem loop — or just a short loop of green yarn — through the split ring or lobster clasp. If you used the knotted yarn stem method, simply thread the two stem ends through the ring before trimming them. If you crocheted a chain stem, slip the ring through the chain before fastening it down. Either way, once the ring is attached, your strawberry keychain is complete.
Tips for the Best Results
Tension matters more than hook size. If your strawberry looks holey or see-through, tighten your tension before worrying about switching hooks. A dense fabric is what gives amigurumi its satisfying round shape.
Blocking isn’t necessary for this project, but if your leaf points are curling in a way you don’t like, a very light spritz of water and a gentle reshape with your fingers will help them lie flat as the yarn dries.
If you’re making these as gifts or to sell at craft fairs, consider investing in slightly nicer keychain hardware. Gold or silver lobster clasps look much more polished than basic split rings and are still very inexpensive when bought in a set.
Experiment with colors. A yellow strawberry body with a purple calyx is unexpected and fun. A deep burgundy for a mulberry version, or a pale pink for a “white strawberry” inspired by real Japanese white strawberries, are both beautiful alternatives to the classic red-and-green combo.
If you want a more compact, perfectly round strawberry rather than the traditional conical shape, simply add one fewer increase round (skip Round 4) and go straight from Round 3 into the straight rounds. This gives you a rounder berry that some people prefer.
Making a Matching Set
Once you’ve made one, you’ll want to make more. These little strawberries are perfect for making in a matching set — a few on a single keychain ring, or a whole cluster turned into a bag charm. You can also string several together on a length of cord or chain to make a fruit-themed necklace, or sew one onto a hair clip base for a cute accessory.
They also make wonderful zipper pulls for pencil cases or pouches. If you’re making a crochet bag as a larger project, adding a strawberry zipper pull is a sweet finishing touch that makes the whole piece feel cohesive and special.
For a gift set, make three or four strawberries in slightly varying sizes (adjust by working more or fewer increase rounds) and package them together in a small cellophane bag with a ribbon. It’s a handmade gift that takes less than an afternoon to put together and looks genuinely impressive.
Sizing Variations
As mentioned, the size of your finished strawberry depends largely on your yarn weight and hook size. Here’s a rough guide to help you plan.
Using fingering weight yarn with a 1.75mm hook, you’ll get a strawberry roughly the size of your thumbnail — absolutely tiny and incredibly cute. Using DK weight with a 2.5mm or 3mm hook gives you a strawberry about an inch tall, which is ideal for keychains because it’s small enough not to be bulky but large enough to actually see the detail. Worsted weight with a 3.5mm hook produces the standard 1.5-inch berry described in this pattern, which is satisfying to make and easy to handle even if your fine motor skills aren’t your strong suit. And if you use bulky yarn with a 5mm or 6mm hook, you’ll get a large, squishy strawberry that’s too big for a keychain but would make an adorable pin cushion, plant stake decoration, or toy for a small child (with safe stuffing, of course).
Common Questions
Can a beginner make this? Absolutely. If you know how to single crochet and can work in the round, you have everything you need. The magic ring takes a few tries to get comfortable with, but it’s not essential — the chain-2 substitute works just fine.
How long does it take? Most crafters can finish the entire keychain, including assembly and hardware, in 45 minutes to an hour and a half. If you’re newer to crocheting in the round, budget two hours.
Can I wash it? Yes, though hand washing is gentler on both the yarn and the hardware. If you used polyfill stuffing, it will hold its shape after washing as long as you let it air dry fully before squeezing or reshaping.
Can I sell items made from this pattern? Yes! This is a free pattern and you’re welcome to sell finished items you make from it. A small credit or link back is always appreciated but not required.
Final Thoughts
There’s something genuinely satisfying about finishing a small crochet project and holding the finished piece in your palm — something complete and three-dimensional that you made stitch by stitch. This mini strawberry keychain delivers that satisfaction in a very manageable package, and it’s one of those projects you’ll find yourself returning to again and again whenever you have a little yarn left over or want to make a quick, meaningful gift.
Grab your hook, pick your favorite shade of red, and give it a try. I think you’ll be surprised how quickly it comes together — and how hard it is to make just one.
