18 rounds · filed under dense · 14 of them
Amigurumi · added 29 Sep 2026
A no-sew amigurumi keychain worked in single crochet
Single crochet builds a dense, tightly packed fabric for this small stuffed amigurumi keychain, joined almost entirely without a separate sewing
- Skill
- Intermediate
- Time
- 4-6 hours
- Yarn
- Worsted
- Rounds
- 18
About this pattern
Single crochet is the only stitch at work here, and it shows: every round of the head and body comes out dense, with almost no gaps between stitches. That tightness is what keeps stuffing from poking through and gives the finished piece enough body to hang from a keyring without flopping. Because each round joins with a slip stitch rather than spiraling continuously, there's a faint seam line running up one side of both pieces — worth keeping in mind when deciding which way the finished keychain will face.
The head builds up from a tight magic-ring circle through three rounds of steady increases, doubling from 8 to 24 stitches before leveling off into a rounded crown, and the body follows the same 8-16-24 increase curve off a front-loop start that leaves a ridge at its base. Both pieces read as small, firm spheres once shaping stops, sized to sit together as a head-and-body keychain. Stuff each one snugly as you close it so the curve holds once it's clipped to a ring and swinging from a bag or a belt loop.
The swatch in numbers
- Rounds
- 18
- Parts
- 6
- Level
- Intermediate
- Time
- 4-6 hours
- Yarn
- Worsted
The yarn and the hook
- Worsted weight yarn
- Crochet hook (size to suit your yarn)
- Polyester stuffing (for the head and body)
Stitches, spelled out
ch chain; st stitch; sl st slip stitch; sc single crochetDense; inc increase; dec decrease.
Tension and hand-feel
After round 1 of the head, check that the magic ring has pulled shut with no visible hole and that the 8 sc sit snug against each other rather than gapping open.
Once round 2 brings the count to 16, lay the piece flat — if the edge cups inward, drop to a smaller hook; if it ruffles or waves at the rim, go up a size before continuing into round 3.
Head
Body
Arms and Legs
The pattern here is not provided in detail. Usually, the arms and legs can be started with a magic ring and a certain number of sc stitches that can then be worked in the round, increasing or decreasing as necessary.
Overalls
You should start with a foundation chain, then work in rows or rounds to create the overalls. Details regarding the exact number of stitches and rows are not included in your scrape.
Mouth
The mouth seems to start with inserting the hook in the specified row and working slip stitches followed by single crochets to create a mouth shape. Fasten off when complete.
Hat
Just like other sections, start with a magic ring, then work in the round, increasing to create the hat's shape.
How the texture is built
- The head's shaping is front-loaded: increases in rounds 2 and 3 take the stitch count from 8 to 16 to 24 in two rounds flat, then rounds 4 through 6 are worked even, so the crown forms fast and the mid-section holds that width steady before further shaping resumes in round 7.
- The body's round 1 works into front loops only, leaving the back loops untouched — that produces a small ridge at the very base of the body where the free loops sit, distinct from the smooth column of rounds above it.
- Every round on both head and body closes with a slip stitch to the first stitch instead of spiraling on, which means a short vertical step runs up the side of each piece at the join points — lining these joins up when the parts are put together keeps that step from standing out.
If you swap the yarn
| Cotton, worsted weight | Gives firmer stitch definition and less stretch than a springy acrylic, so the head and body hold their round shape well under the pull of a keyring; expect a slightly stiffer hand and use the same hook size. |
|---|---|
| Acrylic, DK weight | Produces a smaller finished head and body than worsted, so drop to a smaller hook to keep the fabric dense enough to hold stuffing, and expect a lighter, more pocket-sized keychain. |
| Chenille or velvet-style, worsted weight | Softens the surface considerably and blurs stitch definition, so increases and the front-loop-only round become harder to see; size up the hook slightly so the fabric doesn't turn too stiff to stuff evenly. |
Colorways
- Two-Tone Overalls Head worked solid in a skin tone through all 10 rounds; body rounds 1-5 in the same skin tone, with a color change at round 6 into a denim tone that carries through rounds 7-8 to read as overalls; hat in a contrasting solid.
- Solid Body, Bright Accents Head and body both worked in one main color end to end, with the overalls piece added in a single contrast color and the hat and mouth worked in a third accent color to stand out against the solid base.
Washing and blocking
Spot clean with a damp cloth and mild soap rather than submerging the whole piece, since repeated soaking can work stuffing loose inside the tight single crochet shell.
Air dry flat and reshape the head and body by hand while still slightly damp, pressing gently to keep the rounded profile from the increase rounds.
Store away from constant friction against keys or zipper pulls, since the dense sc surface will pill faster than the rest of the fabric if it rubs against metal.
When it does not look right
- The head's edge ripples or ruffles
- The increase count has outpaced the round — recount so round 1 sits at 8, round 2 at 16, and round 3 at 24 before moving on.
- A small hole opens at the base of the body after round 1
- The front-loop-only round was worked before the magic ring closed fully — cinch the ring's tail tight first, then work the 8 sc into front loops only.
- The color change at body round 6 leaves
- The new color was carried up instead of cut and rejoined — cut the old color at the join point of round 6 and start the new one there so the step lands cleanly at the color break.
Close-ups
Questions people ask
Why does the body start with a front-loop-only round?
Working round 1 into front loops only leaves the back loops free, which produces a visible ridge at the base of the body rather than a smooth transition. It marks a clean line between the base and the rest of the shaping above it.
How firmly should this be stuffed for a keychain?
Pack it snugly enough that the head and body hold their round shape when squeezed, since a loosely stuffed piece will go soft and lose its shape from the pull of a keyring. Firm stuffing also keeps the dense sc fabric from sagging over time.
Does assembling this keychain require sewing?
Mostly no — the head and body are each built as a single crocheted piece, joined round by round with slip stitches rather than crocheted flat and seamed afterward. That said, body round 9 does end by fastening off with a long tail left specifically for sewing, used to close the stuffed opening and attach the body to the head, so a small amount of hand-sewing with that tail is still part of finishing the piece.
New patterns, as they are filed
One short email when a batch lands, with the feel of each.