Spooky Cute Crochet Vampire Keychain Free Pattern
There is something deeply satisfying about making something tiny and adorable that also happens to be a little bit spooky. If you have been searching for a fun Halloween crochet project that is beginner-friendly, quick to finish, and absolutely irresistible, then you have landed in exactly the right place. This free crochet vampire keychain pattern is the perfect project to whip up for the Halloween season, whether you want to decorate your own keys, fill a treat bag for a crafty friend, or sell at a fall craft fair. These little vampires are small enough to finish in an afternoon, cute enough to use year-round, and spooky enough to make everyone smile when they spot them dangling from your bag.
Let’s dive into everything you need to know to make your very own spooky cute crochet vampire keychain, from materials and gauge to stitch-by-stitch instructions and finishing tips.
Why You’ll Love This Pattern
Before we get into the yarn and hooks, let’s talk about why this particular project has become such a favorite among crochet lovers every fall. First, it uses very little yarn — we are talking scrap yarn territory here, which means you can finally put those leftover bits from previous projects to good use. Second, the finished size is perfectly petite, making it ideal as a gift, a party favor, or a fun addition to a Halloween-themed bag charm collection. Third, and perhaps most importantly, the design hits that sweet spot between spooky and adorable that makes it appealing to kids and adults alike.
If you have ever seen a kawaii-style vampire — big innocent eyes, tiny little fangs, rosy cheeks — you already know the vibe this pattern is going for. It is Halloween charm with a heavy dose of “aww.”
Materials You Will Need
One of the best things about amigurumi-style keychains is that the supply list is refreshingly short. Here is everything you will need to gather before you start crocheting.
Yarn: You will need a small amount of black yarn for the body and cape, white yarn for the face and collar, red yarn for the mouth and any accent details, and a tiny bit of pink or light peach yarn if you want to add rosy cheeks. Worsted weight yarn (size 4) works beautifully for this pattern and is the easiest to find. If you prefer a smaller finished product, you can use sport or fingering weight yarn and adjust your hook size accordingly.
Hook: A 3.5mm crochet hook pairs well with worsted weight yarn for a tight, stuffing-concealing fabric. If you go down in yarn weight, choose a hook about 0.5mm smaller than the yarn label recommends to keep your stitches nice and tight.
Stuffing: A small amount of polyester fiberfill stuffing will give your vampire that satisfying squishy plush feel. Because the finished keychain is so small, a pinch of stuffing is genuinely all you need.
Safety Eyes: Two 6mm black safety eyes work perfectly for this project. If you are making these for young children, you can embroider the eyes with black yarn instead to eliminate any choking hazard.
Keychain Ring: A simple split ring keychain (the kind you can find in bulk at any craft or hardware store) is all you need to transform your little vampire into a functional accessory.
Yarn Needle: For weaving in ends and sewing pieces together.
Scissors: Always essential.
Optional: Stitch markers to track round beginnings, embroidery floss in black or red for facial detail stitching, and a small piece of felt if you want to add a stiffened cape element.
Gauge and Finished Size
Gauge is not critical for this pattern since we are making a decorative item rather than a wearable, but here is a general idea of what to expect. Using worsted weight yarn and a 3.5mm hook, the finished vampire body should measure approximately 2.5 to 3 inches tall, not including any cape or hanging loop. The total keychain length from ring to bottom tip will be approximately 4 to 4.5 inches.
If you want a chunkier, more huggable vampire, go up to a 4mm or 4.5mm hook. If you want something more delicate and miniature, try sport weight yarn with a 2.5mm hook.
Abbreviations Used in This Pattern
This pattern is written in US crochet terminology. Here are the abbreviations you will encounter.
MR — Magic ring
Ch — Chain
Sl st — Slip stitch
Sc — Single crochet
Inc — Increase (2 single crochets in the same stitch)
Dec — Decrease (invisible decrease: insert hook into front loops of next 2 stitches, yarn over, pull through both, yarn over, pull through 2 loops)
St(s) — Stitch(es)
BLO — Back loop only
FLO — Front loop only
Rnd — Round
Rep — Repeat
The Pattern: Crochet Vampire Keychain
Part One: The Head
The head is worked in continuous rounds. Use white or light skin-tone yarn.
Rnd 1: Make a magic ring, sc 6 into ring. (6 sts)
Rnd 2: Inc in each st around. (12 sts)
Rnd 3: Sc 1, inc rep around. (18 sts)
Rnd 4: Sc 2, inc rep around. (24 sts)
Rnd 5 – Rnd 9: Sc in each st around. (24 sts) — This gives you 5 rounds of straight single crochet to create the depth of the head.
Before you begin decreasing, now is the time to attach your safety eyes. Place them between rounds 6 and 7, approximately 7 to 8 stitches apart. If you are embroidering eyes instead, you will add them later after the head is fully closed and stuffed.
Rnd 10: Sc 2, dec rep around. (18 sts)
Rnd 11: Sc 1, dec rep around. (12 sts)
Stuff the head firmly with fiberfill at this point. You want it to feel plump and round without being so overstuffed that the fabric stretches and shows gaps.
Rnd 12: Dec rep around. (6 sts)
Fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing. Use your yarn needle to close the remaining hole by weaving through the front loops of each remaining stitch and pulling tight. Weave in the end securely.
Part Two: The Body and Cape
The body is worked in black yarn and creates the classic vampire silhouette with a little pointed cape effect built right in.
Rnd 1: MR, sc 6. (6 sts)
Rnd 2: Inc in each st around. (12 sts)
Rnd 3: Sc 1, inc rep around. (18 sts)
Rnd 4 – Rnd 6: Sc in each st around. (18 sts)
Now we are going to create the cape collar effect using a simple turning technique.
Rnd 7 (Cape Row 1): Working in FLO only, sc 2, inc rep around. (24 sts) Turn.
Row 8 (Cape Row 2): Ch 1, sc across the next 12 stitches. Turn. (This creates the front flap of the cape.)
Row 9 (Cape Row 3): Ch 1, inc, sc across to last st, inc. (14 sts) Turn.
Row 10 (Cape Row 4): Ch 1, sc across. Turn.
Row 11: Sl st across to create a finished edge. Fasten off and weave in ends.
Repeat Rows 8 through 11 on the remaining 12 stitches of Rnd 7 to create the back cape flap.
Go back to the body and pick up the back loops of Rnd 6 (the loops you skipped when you worked FLO in Rnd 7). Continue working the body in the round from these loops.
Rnd 7B: Working in BLO of Rnd 6, sc in each st around. (18 sts)
Rnd 8 – Rnd 10: Sc in each st around. (18 sts)
Stuff the body lightly. The body should be less firmly stuffed than the head — a gentle squish rather than a tightly packed ball.
Rnd 11: Sc 1, dec rep around. (12 sts)
Rnd 12: Dec rep around. (6 sts)
Close and fasten off as you did with the head.
Part Three: The White Collar
Using white yarn, make a small chain of 12 and join with a slip stitch to form a ring.
Rnd 1: Sc in each ch around. (12 sts)
Rnd 2: Sc 1, inc rep around. (18 sts)
Rnd 3: Work a simple shell stitch or picot edge around the collar for a decorative ruffle effect: sc 1, ch 2, sc 1 in same stitch rep around.
Fasten off, leaving a tail for attaching.
Part Four: The Bat Wings (Optional but Adorable)
If you want to add little bat wings to the sides of your vampire, here is a quick mini-wing pattern. Make two.
Ch 5.
Row 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook, hdc in next, dc in next, 3 dc in last ch. Now work back along the other side of the foundation chain: dc in next ch, hdc in next, sc in last ch. (Approximately 9 sts in a curved wing shape)
Sl st to join and fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing.
Assembly
This is where your little vampire really comes to life — or unlife, as the case may be.
Sew the head firmly to the top of the body, making sure it is centered and secure. Use the long yarn tail from the head and stitch through several times before weaving in the end. Give the head a gentle tug to make sure it won’t pop off with use, since keychains get handled a lot.
Wrap the white collar around the neck area where the head meets the body and stitch it in place. The ruffled edge should face upward and outward, framing the bottom of the face beautifully.
If you made the bat wings, pin them to the sides of the body first to check placement before sewing. They look best attached slightly to the back so they appear to spread outward behind the cape.
Adding the Face
This is the most fun part and where your vampire’s personality really comes through. Using a black yarn needle or embroidery floss, stitch a small curved smile beneath the safety eyes. For the iconic vampire fangs, stitch two small downward-pointing “V” shapes just below the smile line in white yarn or thread. Add a tiny red tongue between the fangs if you want an extra cheeky look.
For rosy cheeks, you can either use a small amount of pink embroidery floss to create a few tiny stitches in a circular pattern, or simply dab a bit of pink or blush chalk on the finished piece (this works surprisingly well and looks adorable).
Attaching the Keychain Ring
Thread a short length of black yarn through the top of the head — right at the very tip — from front to back, and loop it through your keychain ring before tying it off securely. Alternatively, you can crochet a short chain of 4 to 6 stitches and stitch both ends to the top of the head to create a loop that fits through the ring cleanly.
Make sure your attachment is very secure and double-stitch it if you have any doubts. The keychain will be pulled and tugged regularly, so a little extra reinforcement here goes a long way.
Customization Ideas
One of the absolute joys of making small crochet characters is how easy they are to customize. Here are a few fun variations to try once you have mastered the basic pattern.
You could make a gender-neutral vampire with a lavender body and silver cape for a more contemporary, witchy aesthetic. A tiny vampire cat variation adds small triangular ears in black and swaps the cape for a simple circle skirt — combine this with the face details and you have something truly special. For a Halloween garland, make five or six vampires and string them along a length of black twine to hang across a mantle or window. You could also experiment with glow-in-the-dark yarn for the collar and fangs — this effect under Halloween party lighting is genuinely magical.
If you are making these to sell, consider packaging each keychain in a small resealable bag with a printed tag featuring the vampire’s name and a playful backstory. Something like “Hi, I’m Count Stitch-ula, and I’ve been waiting 300 years to hang from your keys” goes a long way at a craft fair table.
Tips for Beginner Crocheters
If this is one of your first amigurumi-style projects, here are a few pieces of advice that will make everything go more smoothly.
Always use a stitch marker at the beginning of each round. Because amigurumi is worked in continuous spiral rounds (not joined rounds), it is very easy to lose track of where one round ends and another begins. A simple piece of contrasting yarn looped loosely around your working stitch is all you need.
Work tightly. This is especially important for stuffed pieces because loose tension allows the stuffing to show through the gaps between stitches. If your tension is naturally loose, try going down half a hook size.
Do not overstuff. It is tempting to pack the stuffing in firmly, but overstuffed pieces look lumpy and misshapen. Add stuffing gradually and check the shape as you go.
Take your time with the face. The facial embroidery is what gives your vampire character and charm. If your first attempt does not look right, it is easy to remove stitches and try again. Spending an extra ten minutes on the face is almost always worth it.
Sharing Your Makes
If you use this pattern to make your own spooky cute crochet vampire keychain, please share your finished project! Seeing how other crocheters interpret the same pattern and put their own creative spin on it is one of the most rewarding parts of sharing patterns online. Tag your photos with something searchable like #vampirekeychain or #halloweencrochet so other crafters can find inspiration in your work.
Whether you are making one for yourself, a dozen for a craft fair, or a whole graveyard-full as gifts, this little vampire is sure to bring a smile to everyone who spots it. Happy crocheting, and may your yarn never tangle and your hooks always find their mark.
