Can you believe it's been over 10 years since the first time we've worked together with designer, musician, and science educator Mary Annarella?

What started with a beautiful geometric shawl (Passaggio, above) featuring our original 5-color Gradient Sets has grown into a multi-year project with delightful mystery knit-alongs, joyously colorful sweaters, growing closer at a knitting retreat, and fun hat meet-ups amidst the chaos that is Rhinebeck. 

We’d love to invite you to knit along with us (on Ravelry and Instagram) on any of Mary's designs in Miss Babs yarns, now through the end of August. We’ll have prizes for finishers! For prize eligibility: It doesn't matter which yarn the pattern was originally designed or knit in, just that you knit your version in Miss Babs yarn.

You can also join Mary and the Miss Babs team live on Zoom for some meetups and knitting time! Our first meetup will be on Saturday, June 6, 2026, at 1pm Eastern time.

You can register for the first Zoom here.

Photo 51: The DNA Shawl

Mary's newest pattern is a celebration of the genius of Rosalind Franklin and her contribution to science and medicine. A shawl worked in easy garter stitch and small portable strips that are seamed together later makes for relaxing knitting and a cozy shawl with twisting strands of a woolly double helix resembling Franklin’s lab’s famous Photo 51 X-ray.

Knit the strips one at a time, put them together later when you feel like it! Lengthening or shortening is easily accomplished by knitting more or fewer strips.

We've put together lots of color combinations in Yummy 2-Ply for the Photo 51 shawl - or choose your own! You'll need 2 skeins of the main color and one each of the two contrasting colors.

What will you make?

We’ve gathered our patterns and yarns and we’re getting ready to knit with you!

Helen is making Sister Act in Psychedelic in Junction Fiber Mill Making Tracks Lite and Gold Leaf Yummy 2-Ply.

Ivy is making Passaggio in Cassiopeia and Zombie Games Yet.

Veronica is making Daylight Savings Cowl in Tropical Sunset Tarte.

Julia is making Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood in the Snow Shadows Gradient Set.

Babs is making Present Tenses in Sandpiper Katahdin.

How about you? Will you catch up on a big MKAL shawl? Try out stranded colorwork in a hat? Make that Killer Queen Cowl you've stashed?

You can shop all of Mary's patterns on Ravelry and browse an assortment of sets for patterns [mostly] designed in our yarn here. We can't wait to see what you make!