One of the most famous crochet artists in the world is a twelve-year-old boy in La Crosse.
His name is Jonah Larson and when he was five years old, armed with a few materials and a tutorial, he taught himself how to crochet.
“In about an hour, I made a dish cloth,” Jonah says. “It has grown from there.”
It certainly has. As Jonah made more and increasingly complex items — hats, scarves, booties, afghans and more in an array of colors and patterns — for family and friends, word spread of his talent.
Just a few years ago, from his La Crosse home — which he shares with mom Jennifer, dad Christopher, older brother Leif, younger sister Mercy and dogs Bella and Charlie — Jonah began sharing his work online. He now has a global following, with 122,000 subscribers to his YouTube channel and nearly 290,000 followers on Instagram. He has been a guest half a dozen times on the Drew Barrymore Show and also featured on the Today Show and the Kelly Clarkson Show and in the New York Times, Forbes, People, Oprah Magazine, House Beautiful, Domino and many other publications and outlets.
At first, Jonah sold the items he made. But when thousands of orders poured in, he had to shut the shop down. Now he occasionally sells a handmade item, but focuses his energy on crochet kits, books, tutorials and other parts of his business, Jonah’s Hands.
“My crochet kits came about because I love to teach others how to crochet,” he says, adding that he tried to think about everything a beginner would need to start crocheting and possibly love it as much as he does.
Jonah’s desire to help also extends to his philanthropic work, in which he raises funds for organizations that support the village in Ethiopia where he was born and lived before his parents adopted him. He has already built a library and science lab and had plans to visit this summer, before the pandemic delayed his trip.
“It is really nice because I love to read,” he says of the library. “I’m really proud of it.”
Jonah also likes to spend time with his family and explore nature. “Right now, it’s really nice to go on walks,” he says. “We live near a forest preserve and the riverfront area is really pretty.”
But for him, nothing is better than crocheting.
“I like how therapeutic it is, that repetitive motion,” he says. “Other benefits I’ve come to learn are how you can make beautiful things with just your hands and a ball of yarn.”
While his passion shows no signs of stopping, Jonah is plotting his longer-term future thanks to some of the things he’s learned from crocheting. He plans to become a surgeon, combining his hand dexterity and patience with his drive to help others. “It seems like a perfect match,” he says.
– Katie Vaughn
Photos courtesy of Jonah’s Hands.
Katie Vaughn is the editor and co-founder of Northerly. She is a University of Wisconsin-Madison and Stanford University-trained journalist with experience as a writer, reporter, editor, blogger and author. She lives in Madison with her husband, daughter and son, and is always up for an adventure.