Teen crochet prodigy wows with stunning blankets, headbands and dog coats
Jonah Larson picked up his first pair of hooks when he was just 5 years old and taught himself how to crochet from a simple tutorial.
By 6, he was crushing the grandmas he was competing against in the county fair. Today, his business has become so popular, he's had to temporarily stop taking orders.
"He's gotten about 2,500 [orders] in the last two weeks," his mom, Jennifer Larson, told "Good Morning America."
His Instagram -- Jonah's Hands -- has more than 386,000 followers. But his mom tells "GMA" that his popularity primarily comes from online boards for crocheting. He told "GMA" the crochet community is very kind and supportive.
"He's pretty popular on there," Larson said. "I guess because he's a little boy doing crochet."
He started with a simple dish towel and then went on to make a hat and scarves. One he took home a few ribbons at that first county fair, however, he began challenging himself to more and more complicated designs.
He's pretty popular on Instagram. I guess because he's a little boy doing crochet.
There's baskets, baby booties, mermaid tail blankets and afghans. His most complicated project was an afghan of 800 flowers using a puff stitch.
"Crocheting calms him," his mom said. "His mind is normally very busy, but he's crocheting."
Jonah is also a math whiz and his other interests include playing basketball with his brother and "a very occasional video game."
"Everyone needs a little quiet time," Jonah said.
Now 15, Jonah is "full of confidence," his mom said. She was initially worried about what the kids at school might think about Jonah's passion for crocheting but, "he could not care less what people say."
Jonah told "GMA" picking a favorite piece is not easy.
"That's like asking a parent which child is their favorite. But I've narrowed it down to either my sunset afghan or my mosaic placements."
As for the future, Jonah said he hopes he can inspire people who have crocheted before and then stopped to pick up the hobby again.
"I hope they will pull their hooks out and keep this art going into the next generation."
Editor's note: This was originally published on Jan. 31, 2019.
