Asters in March…? There is no asters in March, they bloom in late summer and autumn!

Yes, they are! But to get them in September you’ll have to plant them in March, while it’s still cold outside.

That’s what my Grandma used to say while she was sowing seeds in pots with warm soil. Then she put them in a sunny spot on her windowsill. After a while seeds would sprout tiny cheerful leaves. As weather gets warmer, tiny plants grow bigger and stronger. Somewhere in May, then frost danger is past she would move asters to flower beds. And at the end of the summer her garden would be covered with gorgeous asters of all shapes and colors, white, blue, purple, red, pink. Every year on September, 1st, she would go to her garden very early in the morning to pick a bouquet of most beautiful asters for me and my sister to bring to our teachers on a first day of school.

That is the aster journey.

Did you know that Callistephus is the proper name of the plant we commonly call Aster, the one with bold beautiful pompom-shaped flowers I was talking about? I was very surprised to learn that!

Aster Journey is a top-down crescent shaped shawl. You start with “seeds” and end with flowers. The more you “sow” the more flowers you will get at the end. Easily customizable in both parts. You can knit flower border until you get tired or run out of yarn. Shawl can be worked from written instructions or charts.

Gradient (degrade) yarns would work nicely with that pattern and also you can use leftovers for the stripes.

Shown

• Purple aster shawl: MC - Madelinetosh praire in Heuchera ( approx. 415 yrds), CC - Lana Grossa Lace Lux in Silver(011) (approx. 70 yrds) ; 14 rep seeds, 4 rep flowers - 54”x15.5”
• Pink aster swatch: MC - Madelinetosh praire in Lepidoptra, CC - Lana Grossa Lace Lux in Silver(011)

Grandma, another one for you. You are my greatest inspiration.