After receiving a comment on my video tutorial for the miniature strawberry book crochet keychain pattern, I decided to start working on a new tiny crochet book design. This time, inspired by my recent Sakura Cat Crochet Drawstring Bag, I wanted to create something dreamy that gets us excited for spring… even if it’s still a little way off. Who says we can’t start dreaming early? This time, I’ve prepared a paper template to help with the bookbinding part of the pattern. And for those with a 3D printer, I’ve also created a free 3D model to make the process even easier! Ready to create something unique and irresistibly kawaii with me? Let’s get started!

Material – Crochet Keychain Pattern

Sport weighted yarn (acrylic or cotton)
Embroidery Floss: light pink (605), brown (938), dark garnet (814) and green (955) (6 strands)
a 1,5 mm and 2,5 mm crochet hooks
Keychain rings
Greyboard for book biding (1,5 mm thickness)
PVA glue and a brush to apply the glue
Translucent glue and/or a hot glue gun
A4 papers
A Printer
A bookbiding cloth or any stretchable fabric will work perfectly
Thread and a needle
A Ruler

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Abbreviations

ch: chain

sc: single crochet

hdc: half double crochet

dc: double crochet

BLO: back loops only

inc: increase

dec: decrease

R: round / row

Notes For The Crochet Keychain Pattern

Please note that every row ends with a chain 1 then turn.

The final dimension of the mini book (closed) is 5,9 (H) x 4,8 cm (W).

The gauge for the main yarn is 5 cm x 5 cm = 14 sc x 16 rows.

The video tutorial for the miniature strawberry book keychain

Crochet Keychain Pattern : Sakura Tiny Book

Start by making a foundation chain of 28 loops. Starting the 2nd loop from the hook:

Row 1: (1 hdc, 1 sc) repeat until the end of the row – you will end the row with a dc (27)

Row 2: (1 sc, 1 hdc) repeat until the end of the row – you will end the row with a sc (27)

Repeat row 1 and 2 alternatively until you reach row 14.

By the end of row 14, the rectangle should measure 5.8 cm x 10 cm. Don’t cut the yarn!

Next, we will crochet the turn-ins, which are the edges around the rectangle. These will later be folded over and glued to the inside.

Top and Bottom Turn Ins

Continue working after row14:

Row 15: BLO: sc dec , 23, sc dec (25)
Row 16: sc dec, 21 sc, sc dec (23)
R17: sc dec, 19 sc, sc dec (21)

Cut the yarn and weave in the ends. Note that the right side of the rectangle is now the part where we see the front loops unworked from row15, as seen in the picture below.

With the rectangle on its right side, join the yarn by making a single crochet decrease (sc dec) at the bottom edge. Insert your hook into the back loops only of the last stitch from row 1 to begin, and make your sc decrease.

Repeat the same steps as you did for the top, working from row 15 to row 17. Once finished, cut the yarn and weave in the ends.

Top and Bottom Turn Ins

With the cover still on its right side, join the yarn to one of the sides by starting with a single crochet decrease (sc dec).

Row 1: sc dec, 10, sc dec
Row 2: sc dec, 8 sc, sc dec
R3: sc dec, 6 sc, sc dec

Cut the yarn and weave in the ends.

Repeat the exact same process for the other side.

The entire piece now measures approximately 12 cm x 7.9 cm.

Mounting The Cover

To create our book cover for this crochet keychain pattern, we’ll need to cut pieces of greyboard that fit perfectly inside the cover and then glue everything together. To make this easier, I’ve prepared a printable paper template that you can cut, trace, and use to cut the rectangles for the greyboard. If you have a 3D printer, I’ve also designed a FREE printable model to help with the cutting process. You can download everything in my Gumroad page: Paper Template And 3D Model STL File For Miniature Book

After cutting the greyboard pieces, use the template (paper or 3D printed) to position and align them inside the book cover we just made. Next, fold the turn-ins inward and glue them onto the greyboards. Finally, secure everything in place with translucent glue, as shown in the pictures below.

With the cover complete, we can now move on to creating the book’s signatures (pages).

The Book’s Signatures

Take your A4 papers, cut a total of 25 rectangles, each measuring 7.7 cm x 5.5 cm. Once you have your 25 pieces, fold each one in half down the middle.

Create 5 signatures, each containing 5 folded sheets, resulting in 5 signatures. After assembling your stacks, mark 4 holes along the fold in the center of each signature at the following distances from the top edge:

• 1st hole: 0.6 cm
• 2nd hole: 2 cm
• 3rd hole: 3.4 cm
• 4th hole: 4.8 cm

Using a needle (the same one you’ll use for stitching), pierce holes through the marked points on all the sheets. Once all your sheets are prepared, we’ll sew them together following this method: How to Stitch a Text Block for Case Book Binding

Lining The Spine Of The Signatures

Using two pieces of greyboard and two binder clips, create a makeshift press to hold the sewn signatures securely in place. With a brush and PVA glue, generously apply glue to the spine. Be careful not to let the greyboard extend beyond the spine or come into contact with the glue—the greyboard should sit slightly lower than the spine of the signatures. Let the glue dry completely.

I definitely recommend using a paper cutter (or guillotine cutter) to trim the pages—this will help make the edges even and give your project a much cleaner, polished finish!

Once dry, take your piece of cloth and apply more glue to the spine. Attach the cloth to the spine only, avoiding the sides of the pages, as the edges of the cloth will later be glued to the end covers. I didn’t have the proper bookbinding cloth, so I used a stretch fabric I had on hand, and it worked perfectly! Take a moment to admire the fabulous leopard print with me—how wild is this?!

Casing In

Create the design for your endpaper backgrounds in Canva (as I did) using a canvas size of 7.9 x 5.5 cm. Arrange the design twice (once for the front endpaper and once for the back) on an A4-sized PDF, then print it. Once printed, cut out both pieces and fold each one to fit perfectly over the first and last pages of your signatures. Use PVA glue to attach the endpapers to these pages, making sure they are smooth (free of folds or bubbles) and well-aligned.

Once the glue has fully dried, attach the sides of the cloth to the back of the endpapers. Let it dry thoroughly. Then, glue the untouched sides of the endpapers directly to the inside of the book cover, securing them at both the front and back.

Personally, I used two sheets of endpapers (on both sides) to cover the folds that appear when using only one sheet. The thickness of the yarn creates a noticeable recess when only one sheet is glued, as you have to fold it over the thick turn-ins, leaving an uneven area in the middle of the cover. To make everything smooth, I printed four endpapers and glued the first one normally with the fold, then added a second sheet on top to smooth everything out.

The bookbinding part of our crochet keychain pattern is complete, now it’s time to get creative and decorate our tiny book!

The Flowers

For all the book embellishments, we’ll be using embroidery floss and a 1.5 mm hook. Take your pink thread and separate it to create 2 strands. Then, make a magic circle.

Round 1: 5 sc
Round 2: (Ch3, hdc, ch3, sl st) in the same stitch x 5

Cut the thread and weave in the ends. Create a total of 7 flowers using this method. With the dark garnet thread (1 strand), embroider small lines to represent the stamens in the center of the flower. Repeat this step for all the flowers.

The Branches

Color of the thread: brown
Number of strands: 6

Big Branch

Chain 23, then starting the 2nd loop from the hook:

Row 1: 12 sl st, 6 sc, 2 hdc, 2 dc (22)

Cut the yarn and leave a tail for sewing.

Branch 1

Chain 6, then starting the 2nd loop from the hook:

Row 1: 2 sl st, ch3, starting the 2nd loop from the hook: 2 sl st, starting the 1st free stitch back to the original base chain: 3 sl st.

Cut the yarn and leave a tail for sewing.

Branch 2

Chain 11, then starting the 2nd loop from the hook:

Row 1: 5 sl st, ch4, starting the 2nd loop from the hook: 3 sl st, starting the 1st free stitch back to the original base chain: 3 sl st, 1 sc, sc inc.

Cut the yarn, leaving a tail for sewing. Sew each branch as shown in the pictures below, on the front cover of the book.

Once the branches are sewn, arrange the flowers to your liking and use a hot glue gun to fix them to the book.

The Leaves To Close The Book

Color of the thread: green
Number of strands: 6

Chain 4, then starting the 2nd loop from the hook:

Round 1: (1 sc, 1 hdc) in the first stitch, 1 dc, (sc, cdc, sc) in the last stitch, then continue working on the other side of the chain foundation: 1 dc, (1 hdc, 1 sc), sl st in the 1st stitch of the round, ch 20.

Cut the thread and leave a tail for sewing. Make two leaves this way.

Sew each leaf along the middle edge of the book covers. This will help keep the book securely closed when you’re not writing on it or when you’re carrying it around. Simply tie the two strands of the leaves together into a cute bow to keep it closed.

The final touch to this crochet keychain pattern is to attach the keyring to the top of the book’s spine, and you’re all set! Congratulations on creating this adorable tiny book. You can use it as a keychain or a bag charm, it’s perfect for keeping your secrets or important reminders safe inside. It can also double as a tiny sketchbook or a fun place to doodle. I’m sure you’ll find plenty of creative uses for it!

Not only is it super cute as a decoration for your keys or bags, but it’s also practical since you can actually write in it and use it however you like. So, what did you think of this project? I’ve tried to provide helpful tools, like the free paper template and a 3D model to print, to make it as easy as possible for you to follow along and create this with me. I can’t wait to hear your thoughts about my crochet keychain pattern in the comments below!

As always, feel free to follow me on social media to stay connected, and don’t hesitate to tag me in your projects made using my patterns. I absolutely love seeing what you create; the colors you choose, and the personal touches you add. It’s such a joy and inspires me to keep designing beautiful creations to bring a little extra creativity and happiness into your life! See you in the next one, and happy crocheting!