May is full of green and growing things, and of anticipating the first fruits of the garden. In my garden the first plant to really flourish and become harvestable is the rhubarb. The best rhubarb is picked before the spring flowers bloom, and a rhubarb custard pi before even the earliest strawberries are in season is a promise of good things to come.

The Rhubarb Custard Pi shawl is a two-thirds circular shawl that starts with a garter tab but quickly turns to pi shawl shaping to create its round profile. The motifs in this pattern are chosen to represent the broad leaves of the rhubarb plant, and chunks of rhubarb suspended in creamy custard topped with a woven lattice crust. Delicious!

Materials Needed:
- @770 yards lace weight yarn sample worked in a plied merino yarn
- 3.25mm (US size 3) circular needle or straight needles or size needed for gauge

Optional:
- 47 stitch markers to mark repeats
- 2 stitch markers to mark border stitches

Gauge: 28 stitches x 36 rows over 4”/10cm in stocking stitch before blocking.
Gauge is given before blocking because the severity of blocking varies widely between lace knitters. Note that I do not consider gauge to be essential for a lace shawl. Instead, I recommend swatching for a fabric you like. If your gauge is markedly different from that given in the pattern, you will need to adjust your yardage accordingly.

Pattern Instruction Format:
The pattern is entirely written; you do not need to refer to the charts to work this pattern.
The pattern is also entirely charted; you do not need to refer to the written instructions to work this pattern.