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We begin with Anansi, the clever spider of Akan storytelling, whose quick thinking and appetite for advantage often tangle him in his own schemes. These tales traveled across oceans through oral tradition, shifting shape while keeping their sharp humor intact.
From there, we move south to two stories gathered in South Africa. In Asmodeus and the Bottler of Djinns, magic is handled with both confidence and risk, and the balance of power turns in surprising ways. In Sannie Langtand and the Visitor, an ordinary setting opens into something uncanny, where curiosity and caution meet at the door. Together, the three tales offer wit, mystery, and the quiet weight of consequence.
“We used to sing and dance and fully enjoyed the perfect freedom we seemed to have far away from the old people. After supper we would listen enthralled to my mother and sometimes my aunt telling us stories, legends, myths and fables which have come down from countless generations, and all of which tended to stimulate the imagination and contained some valuable moral lesson. As I look back to those days I am inclined to believe that the type of life I led at my home, my experiences in the veld where we worked and played together in groups, introduced me at an early age to the ideas of collective effort.” ~ Nelson Mandela
The Anansi sock pattern, designed by Saysha Greene, draws inspiration from Kente cloth of the Ashanti Kingdom of Ghana and the story of the spider trickster who, according to folklore, brought weaving knowledge to the people .
Worked in a repeating multiple of six stitches, the motif creates rhythmic bands of gold, red, green, and deep blue against a dark ground. The shapes move in stepped triangles and mirrored forms, building a steady visual cadence around the fabric. Though bold in color, the repeat is compact and manageable, making it well suited to listening while knitting.
The stranded colorwork creates a structured fabric with gentle tension between foreground and background. It feels grounded in the hands — deliberate, balanced, and alive with pattern.
You may choose to work the motif as written in the sock sample, or adapt the chart into a cowl, hat band, or blanket square. A single band is enough to carry the story.
Skill Level: Confident beginner to intermediate (simple stranded colorwork)
Rhythmic two-color stranding worked in short repeats. The floats are manageable, and only one motif repeat is active at a time. The fabric feels structured but not stiff — balanced between bold surface pattern and wearable softness.
Free pattern download on Ravelry: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/anansi-colorwork-chart
Three folktales travel from West Africa to Southern Africa — from Anansi’s clever threads to unexpected visitors at the door. This month, we pair bold, Kente-inspired colorwork with stories carried by voice and memory
February’s Stitch & Story explores Danish hygge through cozy knitting and winter listening. We’ll share The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen alongside comforting stitches, featuring the Sophie Shawl by PetiteKnit as our hygge knit highlight.
Join us for Stitch & Story on Tuesday, January 6 at 6:15 PM (Central), a relaxed Zoom gathering where we listen to a Nordic folktale and stitch together from the comfort of our own spaces.
This month’s story, Jack of Sjöholm and the Gan-Finn, is a winter sea tale about survival, careful making, and the urge to rebuild what failed. We’ll pair the listening with Fisherman’s Rib, a slow, rhythmic stitch well suited to cozy, attentive making.
Bring any portable project, make a small swatch, or simply listen along. Cameras on or off — tea, blankets, and knitting encouraged.
