Rainbow Keychain Crochet Pattern PDF | Mini Amigurumi Rainbow with Clouds Charm for Beginners

If you have ever wanted to add a little burst of color and handmade charm to your bag, keys, or zipper pull, this mini amigurumi rainbow keychain pattern is exactly what you need. Cute, compact, and surprisingly quick to make, this little rainbow with fluffy cloud ends has become one of the most popular small crochet projects for makers of all experience levels. Whether you are brand new to amigurumi or you have been crocheting for years and just want a satisfying afternoon project, this pattern will guide you through every single step.

In this post, you will find a complete written pattern, material recommendations, tips for beginners, notes on gauge, and ideas for customizing your finished charm. By the end, you will have everything you need to create the most adorable little rainbow keychain you have ever seen — and probably the confidence to make a whole collection of them.

Why You Will Love This Mini Rainbow Keychain Pattern

Small crochet projects have a special place in every maker’s heart. They use up leftover yarn, they finish quickly, and they make incredibly thoughtful, personalized gifts. This mini amigurumi rainbow charm checks every single one of those boxes.

Here is what makes this particular pattern stand out. First, the finished size is perfectly proportioned for a keychain. It is small enough to be practical but big enough that the details are visible and charming. Second, the construction is beginner-friendly in the truest sense — you are working simple rounds, a bit of surface single crochet or embroidery for the color arches, and a small amount of basic shaping for the clouds. There are no complex stitches, no tricky color changes mid-round, and no confusing construction techniques.

Third, this is a wonderful pattern for using up scrap yarn. The arches of the rainbow only require small amounts of each color, which means you can pull from your stash and not spend a cent on new materials. If you already own a basic amigurumi kit — some DK or sport weight yarn in rainbow colors, a 2.5mm or 3mm hook, a little polyfill stuffing, and some safety eyes or embroidery thread — you have everything you need right now.

Materials You Will Need

Before you start, gather your materials. Having everything ready before you begin makes the process smoother and more enjoyable, especially for beginners who are still getting comfortable reading patterns.

Yarn: You will want a smooth, lightweight yarn in the following colors — white (for the clouds), and at least six colors for the rainbow arches. The traditional rainbow order is red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet/purple, but you can absolutely customize this. Pastel rainbows, neon rainbows, earthy toned rainbows — all are beautiful. DK weight (also called light worsted or number 3) works very well for this project, as does sport weight or fingering weight if you prefer a tinier finished charm.

Hook: A 2.5mm or 3mm crochet hook works beautifully with DK or sport weight yarn for a tight, dense fabric that will hold its shape and not show gaps in the stuffing. If you are using fingering weight yarn, go down to a 2mm or 2.25mm hook.

Stuffing: A small amount of polyester fiberfill stuffing. You will not need much — a pinch per cloud section is plenty.

Safety eyes: Optional but adorable. If you are making this charm for an adult or older child, two 4mm or 5mm safety eyes give the rainbow so much personality. If the finished piece will be for a baby or very young child, embroider the eyes instead using black embroidery floss.

Yarn needle: For weaving in ends and for sewing the cloud sections to the rainbow arch base.

Stitch markers: Helpful for marking the beginning of rounds, especially if you are new to working in continuous rounds.

Scissors: For cutting yarn.

Keychain hardware: A small swivel lobster clasp or split ring with a short chain. You can find these at any craft store in the jewelry findings section. Alternatively, a simple binder ring or D-ring works just as well.

Abbreviations and Stitch Guide

This pattern uses US crochet terminology.

MR — Magic ring (also called magic circle)
ch — chain
sl st — slip stitch
sc — single crochet
inc — increase (two single crochets in the same stitch)
dec — invisible decrease (insert hook through front loops only of next two stitches, yarn over, pull through both, yarn over, pull through two loops)
BLO — back loop only
FLO — front loop only
st(s) — stitch(es)
rnd — round

If you are unfamiliar with the magic ring, do not worry. It is one of the most useful techniques in amigurumi and only takes a few minutes to learn. You can also substitute a chain-2 or chain-3 loop in its place; simply join with a slip stitch to form a ring and work your starting stitches into the center of that ring.

Gauge

Gauge is less critical in amigurumi than in garments, but it does affect the final size of your finished charm. Using a 3mm hook and DK weight yarn, you should get approximately 5 single crochets and 5 rows to one inch. With a 2.5mm hook, the piece will come out slightly smaller and denser, which many makers prefer for keychains because it helps the finished charm stay nice and firm.

The finished rainbow keychain measures approximately 6 to 7 cm wide (about 2.5 inches) and 3 to 4 cm tall (about 1.5 inches) using DK weight yarn and a 3mm hook. It is, as the name suggests, genuinely mini — sweet and compact.

Pattern Instructions

Part One: The Rainbow Arch Base

The body of the rainbow is worked in two flat, slightly curved pieces that are then joined and stuffed, or alternatively worked as a single crocheted arch with stuffing added before closing. This simplified method creates a slightly pillow-like arch that is perfectly proportioned for a keychain charm.

With your main color (you can use white or leave the arch colorless and add rainbow stripes via surface crochet later), make a foundation:

Row 1: Ch 13. Starting in the second chain from the hook, sc across. (12 sc)
Row 2: Ch 1, turn. Inc in first st, sc in next 10 sts, inc in last st. (14 sc)
Row 3: Ch 1, turn. Inc in first st, sc in next 12 sts, inc in last st. (16 sc)
Row 4: Ch 1, turn. Sc across all 16 sts. (16 sc)
Row 5: Ch 1, turn. Sc across all 16 sts. (16 sc)
Row 6: Ch 1, turn. Dec over first 2 sts, sc in next 12 sts, dec over last 2 sts. (14 sc)
Row 7: Ch 1, turn. Dec over first 2 sts, sc in next 10 sts, dec over last 2 sts. (12 sc)

Fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing. Make two identical pieces.

Hold both pieces together with wrong sides facing each other and whipstitch or single crochet around the edges to join, leaving a small opening at the bottom curve for stuffing. Stuff lightly with polyfill — just enough to give it a gentle pillow shape. Close the opening. Set aside.

Part Two: Adding the Rainbow Stripes

This is where the project gets really fun. You are going to work surface single crochet along the front face of the arch to create the rainbow color bands. Surface crochet is a technique where you essentially draw up loops directly onto the surface of an existing piece, like drawing with your hook.

Insert your hook from front to back through any stitch along the front of the arch. Starting with red (or your innermost rainbow color), draw up a loop, chain one to anchor your working yarn, then continue inserting and drawing up loops across the arch in evenly spaced stitches, following the natural curve. Fasten off and weave in the end.

Repeat with orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet, spacing each stripe slightly further out from the last so they fan across the front face of the arch like bands of color.

Alternatively, if surface crochet feels tricky as a beginner, you can use a yarn needle and embroidery thread or thin yarn to simply stitch curved lines across the front of the arch in each rainbow color using a running stitch or a backstitch. Both methods look lovely, and the embroidery approach can sometimes look even neater for first-timers.

Part Three: The Clouds

The clouds are the element that makes this little charm look truly finished and professional. Each cloud is a small, rounded, slightly lumpy white piece that gets stuffed and then sewn to either end of the rainbow arch. You will make two clouds, one for each end.

Cloud (make 2):

Rnd 1: With white yarn, MR, 6 sc into ring. (6 sts)
Rnd 2: Inc in each st around. (12 sts)
Rnd 3: (Sc in next st, inc in next st) repeat 6 times. (18 sts)
Rnd 4: Sc in each st around. (18 sts)
Rnd 5: (Sc in next st, dec over next 2 sts) repeat 6 times. (12 sts)

Begin stuffing the cloud firmly.

Rnd 6: Dec around until closed. (6 sts, then dec to close)

Fasten off, leaving a long tail for attaching to the arch. Weave in the starting end.

To give each cloud its classic lumpy, multi-bumped silhouette, you can either use surface embroidery to create the impression of separate puffs, or you can sew two or three small additional bobble shapes onto the front of each cloud. Here is a quick way to make a mini bobble for the cloud surface:

Leave a long tail, ch 2, work 4 sc into the second chain from the hook, sl st to join, fasten off. Sew these tiny puffs onto the front of the cloud in a cluster of two or three and they will give it that instantly recognizable fluffy cloud shape.

If you prefer a simpler approach, simply leave the cloud as a round ball — it still reads as a cloud when attached to the ends of the rainbow and it is perfectly adorable.

Part Four: Assembly

Now you will bring all the pieces together.

Position one cloud at each end of the rainbow arch so that it sits at the base, partially overlapping the end of the arch. The cloud should look like the rainbow is emerging from or resting on top of it. Pin or hold in place and then use your yarn needle and a length of white yarn to sew each cloud securely to the arch with small, neat stitches that disappear into the white fabric.

If you have chosen to add safety eyes, now is a good time to add them to one of the clouds — the left or the right, your choice. Position them slightly above center on the front face of the cloud and push the safety eye posts through, securing the backs firmly on the inside. A gentle smile can be embroidered just below the eyes using one strand of black embroidery floss and a simple backstitch curve.

Part Five: Attaching the Keychain Hardware

To attach the keychain hardware, cut a short length of yarn — about 10 to 15 cm — in white or any color you like. Thread it through the top of the rainbow arch at the center highest point, folding it into a loop. Tie the two ends together securely with a double knot. Trim the ends neatly.

Thread your split ring or lobster clasp loop onto this yarn loop before you knot it, or use a jump ring to connect the yarn loop to the keychain hardware after the fact. Either method is secure and functional. If you want a more polished finish, use a short length of fine chain between the yarn loop and the keychain clasp.

Beginner Tips for Success

If you are new to amigurumi, here are a few things that will make this project go more smoothly.

Work tightly. The most common issue beginners run into with amigurumi is stitches that are loose enough to show the stuffing through the fabric. A slightly smaller hook than the yarn label suggests is always a good idea for amigurumi projects. Your hands may feel a little stiff at first, but you will find a comfortable rhythm quickly.

Use a stitch marker religiously. When you are working in continuous rounds, it is very easy to lose track of where each round begins and ends. Drop a locking stitch marker or just a scrap of contrasting yarn into the first stitch of every round and you will never count wrong.

Do not overstuff. For a keychain-sized piece, a little stuffing goes a very long way. The goal is a gentle, three-dimensional shape, not a firm, lumpy ball. Stuff gradually and check the shape as you go.

Weave in ends as you go. With a project that has this many color changes — six rainbow colors plus white — you will have a lot of ends to deal with. Take a minute to weave each one in before starting the next color and you will avoid a daunting pile of tails at the end.

Practice the magic ring on scrap yarn before you begin. It takes most people two or three tries before it clicks, and after that it becomes completely automatic.

Customization Ideas

One of the best things about a small project like this is how easily it adapts to different styles, color schemes, and occasions.

For a pastel rainbow, substitute baby pink, lavender, mint, pale yellow, sky blue, and peach for the traditional ROYGBV colors. The result is softer and feels very spring-like.

For a pride-themed rainbow, you can adapt the color arrangement to reflect any pride flag color scheme — six colors for the classic rainbow flag, the blue, pink, and white of the trans flag, or any other arrangement that feels meaningful.

For a celestial version, add tiny gold star charms between the clouds and the arch, or use gold metallic yarn for the outermost stripe of the rainbow to give it a shimmering edge.

To make a matching set, crochet a mini sun, a tiny cloud, and a small lightning bolt using the same yarn weights and scale, and clip them all onto the same keyring for a weather-themed charm cluster.

For the holidays, a red and green mini rainbow with white clouds makes a surprisingly festive ornament or gift tag.

Gifting and Packaging Ideas

This mini rainbow keychain makes an incredibly sweet handmade gift, and the presentation can be just as charming as the crochet itself. Tuck it into a small glassine envelope with a handwritten tag noting the fiber content and care instructions. Attach it to the outside of a wrapped gift as a decorative bow replacement. Make a set of three or four in coordinating colorways and package them in a small organza bag tied with a ribbon.

If you sell handmade items on Etsy or at craft fairs, keychains like this are perennial bestsellers precisely because they are affordable, universally appealing, and easy to display. A small pegboard with a row of colorful rainbow keychains dangling at eye level is practically impossible to walk past without stopping.

Care Instructions

Because this charm will be handled frequently — clipped to keys, tossed into bags, and generally loved hard — it is worth making it as durable as possible from the start. Use a yarn that can be gently hand washed or spot cleaned. Acrylic yarn is a great choice for durability; it holds its color beautifully, resists pilling, and is easy to clean with a damp cloth. Wool or wool blends feel lovely and give a slightly softer texture but require more delicate care.

To clean your finished keychain, spot clean with a barely damp cloth and a tiny drop of mild soap if needed. Reshape gently while damp and allow to air dry completely before use.

Final Thoughts

This mini amigurumi rainbow keychain pattern is proof that some of the most satisfying crochet projects are also the smallest ones. In just a couple of hours, you can create something genuinely charming, useful, and completely handmade from scratch. The techniques involved — basic amigurumi rounds, simple shaping, surface crochet or embroidery, and easy assembly — are all skills that transfer directly to larger amigurumi projects, so if this is your first attempt at the style, you are building a really solid foundation.

Whether you are making one for yourself, a dozen as gifts, or a whole market table full of them, this rainbow keychain is one of those patterns you will return to again and again. The colors bring instant joy, the construction stays relaxed and achievable, and the finished result