As autumn arrives and the last flowers brighten the garden before winter comes, the aster takes center stage with its vibrant colors and delicate beauty. Inspired by these late-season blooms, Herbstaster captures the charm of autumn in a textured and richly detailed granny square design.
At the heart of this square blooms a soft, three-dimensional aster flower, surrounded by layered stitches and contrasting colors that echo crisp autumn skies, golden leaves, and the final blossoms of the season. Designed for makers who enjoy texture and decorative details, this square celebrates the beauty of October — a time when nature slows down, but still offers moments of color and warmth.
Whether you use Herbstaster as part of a blanket, cushion, wall hanging, or as a standalone piece, this square brings a touch of autumn garden magic to every project.
So grab your yarn, settle in with a warm drink, and let’s crochet the beauty of autumn, one stitch at a time.
Pattern uses U.S. Terms
Size: 12“ by using aran weight yarn.
Skill level: intermediate (basic stitches, but many; a complex middle part)
Material:
yarn of your choice (aran weight for 12“)
5 mm hook
scissors
yarn needle
Abbreviations (in alphabetic order):
3 dccl – 3 double crochet cluster
bl – back loop
bldc – back loop double crochet
blhdc – back loop half double crochet
blsc – back loop single crochet
bphdc – back post half double crochet
bpsc – back post single crochet
ch – chain
dc – double crochet
dc2tog – double crochet 2 together
fl – front loop
fldc – front loop double crochet
fo – fasten off
hdc – half double crochet
rd - round
sc – single crochet
sk – skip
slst – slip stitch
st – stitch/ stitches
ws – wrong side
Special stitches:
Picot: ch 3, slst into first ch
Popcorn: work 5 dc into indicated st. Remove hook from last st and insert in first dc, pull working loop through the first dc. Ch 1 to close
Note:
The first st of a round is a standing st, unless otherwise stated. If you don't feel comfortable with standing st, you can slst and work ch- stitches instead of the first st (ch 1 for sc, ch 2 for hdc, ch 3 for dc).
St count in the squared rounds: normally, I count only the st per side, without the corner chains. If there are specific st in the corners, they are counted and this is indicated in the st count.
I recommend to work all back post st shallow. It's not a must, but I think it gives the st a very neat look.
Colourways:
|
Round |
Dark red blue colourway |
Pastel colourway |
|
1 |
Middle blue |
Light blue |
|
2 |
Dark red |
Plum |
|
3 |
Middle blue |
Light blue |
|
4 |
Dark red |
Plum |
|
5 |
Middle blue |
Light blue |
|
6 |
Dark grey |
White |
|
7 |
Dark grey |
White |
|
8 |
White |
Yellow |
|
9 |
Dark grey |
White |
|
10 |
Light brown |
Dark grey |
|
11 |
Turquoise |
Light blue |
|
12 |
White |
Lavender |
|
13 |
Dark red |
Plum |
|
14 |
Middle blue |
Light blue |
|
15 |
Turquoise |
White |
|
16 |
Light brown |
Yellow |
|
17 |
Black |
Dark grey |
Pattern:
Ch 4, form to ring by slst into first ch. 12 sc into ring. Slst to first sc. fo. (12 sc)
We are working the inner petals now. One petal is worked in each rd 1 sc.
Work in fl only. Start at any sc: [slst, (ch 5, sk 1st ch, slst back along remaining 4 ch), slst into same rd 1 sc as before], now change to next rd 1 sc, repeat from [ to ] in all remaining rd 1 sc. Slst to first slst. fo. (12 petals)
In rd 1 bl only. Fold the petals to the front for a better view. Start at any sc: (sc, sc, 2 sc) x4. Slst to first sc, fo. (16 sc)
We are working the outer petals now. One petal ist worked in each rd 3 sc.
Work in fl only. Fold the inner petals to the front for a better view. Start at any sc: [slst, (ch 5, sk 1st ch, slst back along remaining 4 ch), slst into same rd 3 sc as before], now change to next rd 3 sc, repeat from [ to ] in all remaining rd 3 sc. Slst to first slst. fo. (16 petals)
Work in rd 3 bl only. Again, fold the petals to the front. Start at any sc: (sc, 2 sc)x 8. Slst to first sc, fo. (24 sc)
This is the squaring round. Start at any sc: [(2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc) = corner made, dc, 3 hdc, dc] x4. Slst to first dc, do not fo. (6 dc, 3 hdc = 9 st/ side)
Slst to corner, ch 1 (loosely worked, does not count as st, just to get height, see note below).
[( 2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc) = corner made, dc in each st of the side] x4. Slst to first dc, fo. (13 dc / side)
Note: for working two rounds with the same colour, I prefer starting the second round with a very loosely worked ch-1 that doesn't count at all. This method does not work for everyone. You can also break the yarn and start again with a standing stitch, or you replace the first st with chains.
For a more simple flower square, e.g. in 6“, just repeat rd. 7 until your desired size. You will need two more rounds for a 6“ square and a st count of 19. For the complete 12“ square, go on with rd 8:
Start at any corner ch-2: [( 3 dccl, picot, ch 2, 3 dccl, picot, ch 2, 3 dccl, picot) = corner made, ch 3, 4 blsc (do not miss the first slightly hidden st), sk 2, (7 dc into next st, should be the middle one of the side), sk 2, 4 blsc, ch 3] x4. Slst to first 3 dccl, fo. (3 3 dccl, 2 ch- 2, 3 picot, 8 blsc, 2 ch- 3, 7 dc = 31 st/ side, corners and ch included)
We are switching between rd 7 and 8 now to work our st into. Be careful to work in the indicated st. Start at fl of first rd 7 dc of a side: [fldc in next 4 st; now to rd 8 (the fan): 2 bphdc, 3 bpsc, 2 bphdc; back to rd 7: fldc in last 4 st; back to rd 8: ch 1, bpsc around first 3 dccl (pull picot towards you to make it easier for you), ch 3, bpsc around second 3 dccl, ch 3, bpsc around last 3dccl, ch 1] x4. Slst to first dc, fo. (8 fldc, 4 bphdc, 6 bpsc, 2 ch- 1, 2 ch- 3= 28 st/ side, corners and ch included)
We are working a lot of bl st now. If you wish more security, you can also work in the third loop, too. Start at first dc of a side: [4 bldc, 2 blhdc, 3 blsc, 2 blhdc, 4 bldc, dc around ch- 1, dc into bpsc, 2 dc around ch- 3, (dc, ch 2, dc) into bpsc = corner made, 2 dc around ch- 3, dc into bpsc, dc around ch-1] x4. Slst to first dc, fo. (8 bldc, 4 blhdc, 3 blsc, 10 dc = 25 st/ side)
Your work might be a bit wobbly now. No problem- we will fix that in the next rd.
Start at any corner ch- 2: [(dc, ch 2, dc) = corner made, 10 bpdc, dc2tog (first leg in hdc before sc, second leg in hdc after sc, sk all sc in between), 10 bpdc (be careful not to work a bpdc around the hdc where the second leg of the dc2tog goes into)] x4. Slst to first dc, fo. (20 bpdc, 2 dc, 1 dc2tog = 23 st/ side)
Start at any corner ch- 2: [(2 sc, ch 2, 2 sc) = corner made, sk hidden st, (sk 1, ch 1, sc) x5, ch 1, sk dc2tog, work popcorn into middle one of skipped rd 10 sc (in front of rd 11), (ch 1, sk 1, sc) x5, sk 1, ch 1] x4. Slst to first sc, fo. (14 sc, 12 ch-1, 1 popcorn = 27 st/ side
Start at any corner ch- 2: [(2 hdc, ch 2, 2 hdc) = corner made, hdc in next st, now work only in rd 11 skipped st over the rd 12 ch- 1 already there: (ch 1, sk 1, hdc in next skipped rd 11 st) x12, ch 1, sk 1, hdc] x4. Slst to first hdc, fo. (18 hdc, 13 ch-1 = 31 st/ side)
Start at any corner ch- 2: [(hdc, ch 2, hdc) = corner made, 3 hdc, (dc in rd 12 st, worked over the ch- 1 already there, hdc in next st) x12, dc in next skipped rd 12 st, 3 hdc] x4. Slst to first hdc, fo. (20 hdc, 13 dc = 33 st/ side)
Start at any corner ch- 2: [(dc, ch 2, dc) = corner made, 33 bpdc] x4. Slst to first dc, fo. (2 dc, 33 bpdc = 35 st/ side)
Start at any corner ch- 2: [(dc, ch 2, dc) = corner made, (sk 1, 2 dc into next st) x17, sk 1] x4. Slst to first dc, fo. (36 dc/ side)
Start at any corner ch- 2: [2 sc, ch 2, 2 sc), sk first (hidden) st, 36 sc] x4. Slst to first sc, fo (39 sc/ side)
Weave in all ends. Block your square if desired.
Round by round pictures:
Note: rd 3 and 5 are shown from the wrong side (ws)
A big thank you to my testers Lynne, Jilly and Lettice! It's always helpful to have people that look over a pattern with fresh eyes.
That's it! Have fun! Copyright by Loewenzahm June 2026
