At five years old, Jonah Larson began an unusual hobby for a kid his age. He became hooked on crochet, a craft commonly associated with people many decades older.
It all began when Larson received a bag of supplies and then proceeded to teach himself crafting techniques via YouTube. After much dedication, the now 11-year-old is a “crocheting prodigy” who has tackled complex projects that many adults would struggle with. Larson shares all of his creations, from colorful blankets to an amigurumi octopus, on his popular Instagram account called Jonah’s Hands.
Larson finds comfort in the act of crocheting. “After a very hard, busy, chaotic day in this busy world with school,” he says, “it’s just nice to know that I can come home and crochet in my little corner of the house while sitting by the one I love most: my mom.” It’s his mom, Jennifer, who first gave him his crochet tools despite not practicing the craft herself. Instead, she supports her son, whom she adopted as an infant from an Ethiopian orphanage.
She creates posts on his Instagram and joins crochet Facebook groups on his behalf.
Now, Larson has his own business of selling what he makes. Because of his popularity, it is a self-sustaining endeavor. He buys his own yarn from his profits while saving some and donating it back to his former orphanage.
Larson recently decided to take his commitment to helping even farther. He has launched a GoFundMe, in partnership with the non-profit Roots Ethiopia, that will support the country’s children and their families so that they too can find their passion and achieve their dreams.
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