How to Crochet a Butterfly Keychain: Step-by-Step Tutorial for Beginners and Beyond
Few things are as satisfying as making a small, beautiful object with your own hands. A crocheted butterfly keychain sits right at that sweet spot between functional and adorable — it takes less than an hour to make, uses minimal yarn, and turns out looking like something you’d find in a boutique shop. Whether you want to keep it for yourself, sell it at a craft fair, or give it as a heartfelt gift, this tutorial will walk you through every single step from gathering your supplies to finishing your keychain with a polished, professional look.
This guide is written for all skill levels. If you’ve never crocheted before, don’t worry — the stitches used here are simple, and each step is explained clearly. If you’re an experienced crocheter looking for a quick and charming pattern, you’ll move through this comfortably and have plenty of room to experiment with colors and embellishments at the end.
Let’s get into it.
What You’ll Need Before You Start
Getting your materials together before you begin is one of those small habits that makes the entire crafting experience smoother. Here’s what you’ll need for this project.
For yarn, you’ll want a small amount of worsted weight yarn in two colors — one for the wings and one for the body. You don’t need much at all; leftover scraps from other projects work perfectly here. This is actually one of the best projects for using up those tiny bits of yarn you can never quite bring yourself to throw away.
For your hook, a 3.5mm or 4mm crochet hook works well with worsted weight yarn. If you’re working with thinner yarn, size down your hook accordingly. The butterfly will be more delicate with thinner yarn and chunkier with thicker yarn — both versions are lovely.
You’ll also need a pair of scissors, a yarn needle for weaving in ends, a keychain ring (available at any craft store or online for very little money), a jump ring or split ring to attach the butterfly to the keychain hardware, and optionally, some stitch markers if you’re newer to working in the round.
If you’d like to embellish your butterfly, small googly eyes, seed beads for antennae, or embroidery thread for detail work are all wonderful additions.
Understanding the Stitches
Before diving into the pattern, let’s make sure you’re comfortable with the stitches this project uses. The butterfly is primarily built from chains, slip stitches, single crochets, half double crochets, double crochets, and treble crochets. If any of those sound unfamiliar, here’s a quick refresher.
A chain stitch is your foundation — you simply pull a loop through the loop already on your hook. A slip stitch joins pieces together or moves you along a row without adding height. A single crochet is the shortest “real” stitch, made by inserting your hook, pulling up a loop, then pulling through both loops on your hook. A half double crochet is a bit taller: yarn over, insert hook, pull up a loop, then pull through all three loops. A double crochet is taller still: yarn over, insert hook, pull up a loop, pull through two loops, then pull through the remaining two. A treble crochet adds one more step: yarn over twice, insert hook, pull up a loop, then pull through two loops three separate times.
These six stitch types are all you need to make a gorgeous little butterfly.
The Pattern: Crocheted Butterfly Keychain
This pattern creates a butterfly with two sets of wings — larger upper wings and smaller lower wings — plus a separate body that ties them together. The finished piece will be roughly 2.5 to 3 inches across when made with worsted weight yarn.
Part One: The Upper Wings
The upper wings are worked in one continuous piece from the center out. Start with your main wing color.
Begin by making a magic ring, or if you prefer, chain 4 and join with a slip stitch to form a small ring. The magic ring gives a neater center, but either method works just fine.
Round 1: Chain 3 (this counts as your first double crochet). Work 2 double crochets into the ring. Chain 2. Work 3 double crochets into the ring. Chain 4. Work 3 double crochets into the ring. Chain 2. Work 3 double crochets into the ring. Chain 4. Join with a slip stitch to the top of your beginning chain 3. You should have four groups of 3 double crochets separated by chain spaces.
Pull the magic ring tight so there’s no hole in the center.
Round 2: Slip stitch into the first chain-2 space. Chain 3 (counts as double crochet). Work 2 more double crochets, then chain 2, then 3 more double crochets into that same chain-2 space. This creates a corner shell. Chain 1.
Now move to the chain-4 space. Into this space, work: 3 double crochets, chain 2, 3 treble crochets, chain 2, 3 double crochets. This bigger arch becomes the rounded top edge of your upper wing. Chain 1.
Move to the next chain-2 space and repeat the corner shell: 3 double crochets, chain 2, 3 double crochets. Chain 1.
Move to the next chain-4 space and repeat the larger arch: 3 double crochets, chain 2, 3 treble crochets, chain 2, 3 double crochets. Chain 1.
Join with a slip stitch to the top of your beginning chain 3. Fasten off, leaving a tail for weaving in.
You now have one piece that forms both upper wings connected at the center.
Part Two: The Lower Wings
The lower wings are smaller and slightly more rounded to mimic the natural shape of a butterfly. Use the same color as your upper wings.
Make a magic ring or chain 4 and join.
Round 1: Chain 3 (counts as double crochet). Work 2 double crochets into the ring. Chain 3. Work 3 double crochets into the ring. Chain 5. Work 3 double crochets into the ring. Chain 3. Work 3 double crochets into the ring. Chain 5. Join with a slip stitch to the top of your beginning chain 3.
Pull the ring tight.
Round 2: Slip stitch into the first chain-3 space. Chain 3, work 2 double crochets, chain 2, 3 double crochets into that space. Chain 1.
Into the chain-5 space, work: 3 double crochets, chain 2, 3 double crochets, chain 2, 3 double crochets. Chain 1.
Into the next chain-3 space: 3 double crochets, chain 2, 3 double crochets. Chain 1.
Into the next chain-5 space: 3 double crochets, chain 2, 3 double crochets, chain 2, 3 double crochets. Chain 1.
Join with a slip stitch to the top of the beginning chain 3. Fasten off.
The lower wings will be noticeably smaller than the upper wings, which is exactly what you want.
Part Three: The Body
The body is worked in a simple oval and adds structure to the center of your butterfly. Switch to your body color yarn for this piece.
Make a magic ring.
Round 1: Chain 1 (does not count as a stitch). Work 6 single crochets into the ring. Pull the ring tight and join with a slip stitch to your first single crochet. (6 stitches)
Round 2: Chain 1. Work 2 single crochets into each stitch around. Join with a slip stitch. (12 stitches)
Round 3: Chain 1. Single crochet in the first stitch. 2 single crochets in the next stitch. Repeat this pattern — one single crochet, then an increase — all the way around. Join. (18 stitches)
Rounds 4 and 5: Chain 1. Single crochet in each stitch around. Join. (18 stitches each round)
Round 6: Chain 1. Single crochet in the first stitch. Single crochet 2 together (decrease) in the next two stitches. Repeat around. Join. (12 stitches)
Fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing.
This small oval becomes the body of your butterfly, and you’ll stitch it over the center of the wings to hold everything in place.
Assembling the Butterfly
Now comes the satisfying part where your separate pieces become a butterfly.
Lay your upper wings flat on your work surface. Place the lower wings just beneath the upper wings, making sure the center holes of both pieces align. The lower wings should peek out from below the upper wings, sitting just slightly behind them.
Place your body oval over the center where both wing pieces meet. The body should cover the connection point and hold both wing layers together.
Thread your yarn needle with the long tail you left on the body piece. Stitch the body to the wings by going through all three layers at the center. Work a few tight stitches to make sure everything is secure — you don’t want your butterfly losing its body mid-keychain. Once it feels firm, weave your needle through the back to hide the stitches and tie off invisibly.
If your butterfly wings feel a little floppy or misaligned, you can add a few extra stitches at the very center to keep everything tidy. The body piece hides these stitches beautifully.
Adding Antennae
A butterfly without antennae feels a little bare. There are a few ways to add them, and you can choose based on what materials you have on hand.
The simplest method is to use a short length of yarn or embroidery thread. Cut two pieces about three inches long. Thread each one through the top of the body at the head end, pull through to the midpoint so you have equal lengths on each side, then tie a small overhand knot at the tip of each one to keep it from unraveling. Trim any excess.
For a more structured look, use black or dark brown pipe cleaner (also called chenille wire). Cut a piece about four inches long, fold it in half to find the midpoint, and use your yarn needle to tack the midpoint to the top of the butterfly’s head with a few stitches. Gently curve the two ends upward to create the characteristic antenna shape.
If you have seed beads, you can slide one onto each antenna end before knotting it off for an extra touch of sparkle.
Attaching the Keychain Hardware
This step transforms your crocheted butterfly from a sweet little ornament into an actual, functional keychain.
Take your jump ring and open it slightly by gripping each side of the cut with two pairs of pliers and twisting one end toward you — never pull the ring open sideways, as that distorts the circle and makes it harder to close again. Thread the open jump ring through one of the chain stitches at the very top center of your butterfly, right between the antennae. Then close the jump ring by twisting it back.
Attach your keychain ring or lobster claw clasp to the jump ring. That’s it. Your butterfly is now officially a keychain.
If you don’t have a jump ring, you can also thread a short loop of yarn through the top of the butterfly and tie it to the keychain hardware directly — it’s less polished but works perfectly well in a pinch.
Finishing Touches and Customization
Weave in all remaining yarn tails with your yarn needle, doing your best to hide them inside the body of the stitches. Give your butterfly a gentle tug in all directions to make sure nothing is coming loose.
Some crocheters like to add a light spritz of water and allow the butterfly to dry flat to block the piece into a perfect shape. This isn’t strictly necessary with acrylic yarn, but it makes a noticeable difference with cotton or wool and gives the finished piece a very crisp, professional look.
Now for the fun part: making it your own. The basic pattern is really just a canvas.
You can use variegated or ombre yarn for the wings and create a butterfly that shades from one color into another, which looks absolutely stunning. You can make the body metallic by using a sparkle yarn or by threading thin metallic embroidery floss around the body stitches after assembly. You can glue tiny rhinestones to the wing surface for a more glamorous look. You can make a matched set in different colorways as a gift, or stitch a tiny initial onto the body using embroidery thread.
The butterfly shape also works beautifully at different scales. Make it tiny with fingering weight yarn and a 1.5mm hook for something truly delicate, or scale up to bulky yarn for a chunkier, more casual vibe.
Common Questions and Troubleshooting
If your wings are curling instead of lying flat, your tension is probably too tight. Try loosening your grip on the yarn slightly or going up one hook size.
If the center of your wings has a visible hole, make sure you’re pulling your magic ring snug before starting round 2, and work your beginning stitches as closely together as possible.
If your butterfly looks lopsided, double-check that you worked the same number of stitches into each corresponding chain space on both sides. It helps to count your stitches after each round before moving on.
If the body isn’t staying centered on the wings, add more attachment stitches through the center layers. The more you anchor it, the flatter and more professional the butterfly will look when it’s done.
Why This Project Is Worth Making
A crocheted butterfly keychain takes roughly 30 to 60 minutes depending on your experience level, uses almost no yarn, and produces something genuinely beautiful. It’s the kind of project you can pick up and finish in an afternoon, which makes it incredibly satisfying.
It’s also one of those patterns that teaches you something useful every time you make it. Working in the round, managing multiple pieces, sewing pieces together neatly, and finishing with hardware are all skills that carry directly into bigger, more complex crochet projects. Think of this little butterfly as a masterclass in miniature.
For those who sell handmade items, butterfly keychains are consistent bestsellers at craft fairs and on platforms like Etsy. They’re easy to photograph, appealing across age groups, and inexpensive enough that people buy them on impulse. Making a batch in a variety of colors is a very smart use of an evening.
Most of all, there is something quietly wonderful about attaching a handmade thing to your everyday bag and seeing it every time you reach for your keys. It’s a small reminder that you made something with your hands — and that is always worth something.
Now go make your butterfly. You’ve got everything you need.
