Crochet Lily of the Valley Headphone Charm: Bell Flower and Leaf Vine

Lily of the valley is one of the easiest flowers to crochet because the bloom is just a small cup: a magic ring, one increase round, a few plain rounds and a scalloped edge. Elise from the YouTube channel lilthings ties hers onto a headphone band with a long green chain, so the flower hangs beside your ear like a tiny bell.

It is a good first "real" project after you have practised chains and single crochet. Everything except the leaf is single crochet, and the video runs just under half an hour.

Video tutorial by Elise on her YouTube channel, lilthings: watch "crochet lily of the valley ♡ headphone accessory | crochet for beginner" on YouTube.

This is a written companion to Elise's free video. The counts below follow the video; if anything looks different on screen, go with the video.

You'll need

• 5-ply milk cotton in green and white (a light DK; any smooth cotton of similar weight works)
• 3.5 mm crochet hook
• A stitch marker, scissors and a darning needle

The leaf vine

1. Vine: with green, make a slip knot and chain 50 to 70. Hold it around your headphone band before you stop: it needs enough length to wrap once and tie a knot.
2. Leaf, first side: chain 6. Starting in the 2nd chain from the hook, work 1 sc, 1 hdc, 1 dc, 1 hdc, 1 sc. The tall stitch in the middle makes the widest part of the leaf.
3. Leaf tip and second side: chain 2 for a pointed tip, turn the leaf and work along the other side of the same chain: 1 sc, 1 hdc, 1 dc, 1 hdc, 1 sc. Slip stitch at the base to close the leaf.

If the leaf twists, you probably worked the first side into one loop and the second side into two. Pick a method (back bump or top loop) and keep to it on the first side; the second side always goes into the leftover loops.

The bell flower

Switch to white. Each round is joined with a slip stitch and starts with a chain 1 that does not count as a stitch.

• Round 1: magic ring, ch 1, 6 sc in the ring. Pull the tail to close the hole, sl st to the first sc. (6 sts)
• Round 2: 2 sc in each st around. (12 sts)
• Rounds 3 to 7: 1 sc in each st around. (12 sts, five rounds)
• Round 8 (scalloped rim): [5 sc in the next st, sl st in the next st] 6 times. (6 scallops)

The scallop round uses all 12 stitches: each repeat takes two. After round 3 or 4, push the dome out with your finger so the right side of the fabric is on the outside of the bell; the rounds from then on build the cup walls downwards.

New to the ring start? Our magic ring guide shows how to close it so it never opens again.

Putting it together

Fasten off the bell and weave the white tails inside the cup, where they are hidden. Thread the green vine through the top centre of the bell and the base of the leaf, knot it inside the bell, then wrap the vine around your headphones and tie it.

Tips for a neat bell

• Count to 12 every plain round. The bell only has 12 stitches, so a single missed or extra stitch shows. A marker in the first stitch of each round makes the join easy to find.
• Keep the joins tight. A loose slip stitch looks like an extra stitch on the next round.
• Make a cluster. Real lily of the valley has several bells on one stem. Make three bells and space them along the vine for a fuller charm.

Frequently asked questions