Bag charms are all the rage, from fluffy pompoms to cool emojis, and now you can knit and show off your very own! This Robby Raccoon knitted keyring was designed by Louise Smith for issue 177 of Simply Knitting magazine. He's been created using DK yarn, 3mm needles and a few simple-to-learn colour changes.
This keyring pattern is a great choice for colourwork beginners – and a chance to learn how to Swiss darn too! Swiss darning (also known as duplicate stitching) is a technique where you cover a knitted stitch with an embroidery stitch the same shape as the stitch beneath it. It's an easy way to add small details to your knitting projects, and here you'll use it for the raccoon's eye patches.
Cast on Robby Raccoon today and add this cute knitted keyring to your favourite bag in no time.
This little critter was inspired by a real-life pack of raccoons I ran into in Vancouver, Canada. They all looked so cuddly and mischievous, I wanted one with me all the time!
Louise Smith, designer
To make this knitted keyring you will need:
- Any DK yarn in three shades: Yarn A Grey, Yarn B White, Yarn C Dark Grey
- A pair of 3mm (US 2 or 3) needles
- A 3mm (US D/3) crochet hook
- Small amount of black stranded cotton
- Small amount of toy stuffing
- Tapestry needle
- Keychain
Knitted keyring pattern
Tension
Yarn used knits as 4ply to this tension: 26 sts and 30 rows to measure 10x10cm (4x4in) over st st using 3mm needles
Measurements
11cm wide (4¼in) x 10cm tall (4in)
Abbreviations
K1B Knit the next stitch using Yarn B
For a full list see our knitting abbreviations.
Knit a raccoon bag charm
Note: The Back of the Raccoon is worked in the same way as the Front, using Yarn A only. The eye patches are added after, using Swiss darning and the image as a guide, following the Eye Patch Chart.
Front of raccoon keyring
Cast on 4 sts using 3mm needles and Yarn A.
Row 1 Purl to end.
Row 2 K1, M1R, K2, M1L, K1. [6 sts]
Row 3 Purl to end.
Join in Yarn B.
Row 4 (K1B, M1R in Yarn B) twice, K2A, (M1L in Yarn B, K1B) twice. [10 sts]
Row 5 P4B, P2A, P4B.
Row 6 (K1B, M1R in Yarn B) 4 times, K2A, (M1LB, K1 in Yarn B) 4 times. [18 sts]
Row 7 P8B, P2A, P8B.
Row 8 (K1B, M1R in Yarn B) twice, K6B, K2A, K6B, (M1LB, K1 in Yarn B) twice. [22 sts]
Row 9 P9B, P4A, P9B.
Break off Yarn A and B and join in Yarn C.
Row 10 K1, M1R, knit to last st, M1L, K1. [2 sts inc’d]
Row 11 Purl to end.
Repeat Rows 10 and 11 twice more. [28 sts]
Row 16 K1, ssk, knit to last 3 sts, k2tog, K1. [26 sts]
Row 17 Purl to end.
Break off Yarn C and rejoin Yarn B.
Row 18 K1B, sskB, K8B, K4A, K8B, k2togB, K1B. [24 sts]
Row 19 P10B, P4A, P10B.
Row 20 K1B, sskB, K6B, K6A, K6B, k2togB, K1B. [22 sts]
Continue in Yarn A only.
Row 21 Purl to end.
Row 22 K1, ssk, knit to last 3 sts, k2tog, K1. [2 sts dec’d]
Repeat Rows 21 and 22 until 16 sts remain.
Back of raccoon keyring
Repeat instructions for Front, using Yarn A only.
Raccoon keyring ears
Make 2 in Yarn A and 2 in Yarn B.
Cast on 3 sts using 3mm needles.
Row 1 Purl to end.
Row 2 K1, M1R, K1, M1L, K1. [5 sts]
Row 3 Purl to end.
Row 4 Ssk, K1, k2tog. [3 sts]
Row 5 Purl to end.
Row 6 Sk2po. [1 st]
Fasten off.
Making up the knitted keyring
- With WS facing each other, sew one Yarn A ear to one Yarn B ear. Repeat for other two pieces. Using image as a guide, embroider a small amount of Yarn C on the middle of each ear (on the Yarn B side).
- With RS facing out, begin sewing the Front and Back pieces together. Position the Ears at the top of the Raccoon, using image as a guide, and sew into place as you sew the face pieces together. Before you sew the pieces together completely stuff lightly. Then sew closed.
- Make a small pompom (4cm/1.5in in diameter) using small amounts of Yarn A, Yarn B and Yarn C. Attach pompom to keychain using a small crochet chain (or preferred method) and Yarn A.
- Using lengths of black stranded cotton, make a small tassel and secure around keychain ring.
- Using a length of Yarn B, Swiss darn the eye patches onto the face, following the Eye Patch Chart (below). Position eyes using image as a guide.
- Using a length of black stranded cotton and image as a guide, embroider small closed eyes into the centres of both patches.
- Using a length of Yarn C, embroider a few single sts for nose, using image as a guide. Secure Racoon to keychain just behind left ear.
Downoad the knitted keyring pattern
You can also get this raccoon bag charm pattern as a PDF. Downoad your copy here: Knitted keyring pattern
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