Boy Teaches Himself to Crochet at Age 5, Uses His Craft to Help Ethiopian Kids, Wins Award

Courtesy of Jonah’s Hands

Fifteen-year-old Jonah Larson, whose dream is to become a surgeon one day, is a master at crochet—and he taught himself the craft when he was 5. What’s even more remarkable is that Larson is using his skill to change the lives of schoolchildren in Ethiopia, where he was born and adopted as a baby.

Larson, who lives in La Crosse, Wisconsin, and sells his gorgeous handmade creations on his website, Jonah Hands, has raised enough to fund a library, a science lab, new desks, and restrooms in the rural area where he was born, partnering with U.S.-based charity Roots Ethiopia. And the crochet wonder was awarded the 2023 William R. Simms Award for Outstanding Youth in Philanthropy on April 18.

“Now we’re working on giving them a soccer team and all the accompanying equipment, like goals, uniforms, and soccer balls. And then our next step is to move on to fixing up and renovating the high school,” the talented teen told The Epoch Times.

Jonah Larson, 15, was adopted by a U.S.-based family when he was around six months old. Courtesy of Jonah’s Hands

Larson's love for crocheting began at the tender age of 5 and he says excelling in academics is his top priority. Courtesy of Jonah’s Hands

Larson with his adoptive mom and brother. Courtesy of Jonah’s Hands

Larson received the William R. Simms Award for Outstanding Youth in Philanthropy. Courtesy of Jonah’s Hands

A Kaleidoscope of Dreams

Larson discovered crocheting when his aunt, who likes to sew, gave him and his two siblings a bag of leftover crafting supplies to look through. In that bag was a crochet hook and some blue and green wool.

“I grabbed them, went to my mom and asked, ‘What’s this? How do I use it?’” he said.

Jenn, Larson’s adoptive mother, explained a little about crochet and found a simple tutorial video describing how to create a dishcloth. After an hour, the little boy was the proud maker of a blue-and-green striped cloth, which the family still has.

Fast forward ten years, Larson can skillfully craft “everything you could possibly imagine”: be it intricately designed scarves, hats, cardigans, or blankets.

Larson designs his own creations, drawing inspiration from fashion trends and the natural seasons. Courtesy of Jonah’s Hands

Courtesy of Jonah’s Hands

Courtesy of Jonah’s Hands

As well as displaying his art projects on social media, fundraising, and auctioning designs for his business, Jonah’s Hands LLC, Larson is studying hard at school and has big dreams for his future.

“I’m going to go on to college, and then med school, and then residency, and then become a surgeon. Academics are the priority and right at the top,“ Larson said, adding that education is ”a major priority” for him and his parents.

Since getting a college education comes with a hefty price tag, Larson sees his crafting hobby as a way of helping fund his tuition costs and kickstart his way into adulthood. A large part of his profits are donated to charitable projects.

“It just seemed like a win-win, and it also was a nice thing to do. My mom and I are just so proud of how far it’s come,” he added.

Courtesy of Jonah’s Hands

Courtesy of Jonah’s Hands

Courtesy of Jonah’s Hands

From Abandonment to Adoption

Not a lot is known about the circumstances surrounding Larson’s abandonment when he was just a tiny infant. He and his family do know that a local woman, who had gone to fetch water, heard a baby’s cries and found him on a trail wrapped in a banana leaf. Picking him up, she took him to her home, where she lived with her husband and several children.

“She would have kept me but she wasn’t able to care for me and provide for me, which is commonly the case in that area,” Larson said.

The woman took Larson to the local orphanage, from where he was transported to another orphanage and yet another. When Larson was around five or six months old, his adoptive mom and dad brought him home with them to the United States. It was an extremely tough journey, Larson said.

“It was a whole ordeal. I was sick a lot and I got my parents sick. There’s just so many different things in that country that we don’t have here in the United States,” he said. “But [when] I got back to the United States, my loving family and my older brother were there waiting for me; all my aunts and uncles and nieces and nephews and all sorts of great stuff.

“And then at the age of 5, I found crochet.”

This photo was taken in Ethiopia where Larson was born and it was the first time he saw his adoptive father. Courtesy of Jonah’s Hands

Courtesy of Jonah’s Hands

Courtesy of Jonah’s Hands

Courtesy of Jonah’s Hands

Cherishing Heritage

Larson credits the success of his feel-good project to his mom, his dad, and the many supportive friends who helped put the plan into action.

“It’s taken all of us,” he said, going on to praise the orphanage workers who took him in: “They took the best care of us they could, they just didn’t have the resources necessary to provide the standards we have here. But they did their best, and they loved all the kids they had there.”

Those running the orphanage told Larson’s parents not to let him forget his roots, his heritage, and where he came from. By funding projects in the area, he, his family, and many others alongside them are keeping that promise.

Courtesy of Jonah’s Hands

Courtesy of Jonah’s Hands

Larson hasn’t made it back to Ethiopia yet but he hopes to one day see the finished library and science lab he made happen and meet the people there. In the meantime, he’ll carry on pursuing his academics. He enjoys playing basketball and other sports such as track and tennis, especially during summer with friends and his older brother. He also loves reading and dogs.

As for the crochet, having perfected the art so well over the years with tons of practice, Larson can complete a hat in under an hour, and a blanket in around four and a half hours. Impressively, rather than just following patterns, he now designs his own creations, taking inspiration from fashion trends, other peoples’ clothes, “cool color palettes,” and the natural seasons.

It’s a highly inventive process and one that pays off in so many ways.

Larson said: “You’d be surprised by how many times someone sees or receives one of my designs and says, you know, I was having a really rough day ... [but] whatever I crocheted made me happy. That’s just really great to hear. Also, things like crocheting a blanket and auctioning it off for an animal shelter, because one of our dogs, Bella, she’s a rescue and we all love her.”

Larson's rescue pet dog, Bella. Courtesy of Jonah’s Hands

Courtesy of Jonah’s Hands

Has he got any tips for aspiring crocheters?

“Number one, use a chunky yarn. Number two, choose an easy project. And number three, try not to learn just from starting out from a book; learn from watching someone else,” he said.

“If you want to do something, there’s always a route to do it. It takes a lot of effort, a lot of time, but you can do it. My mom always says never give up and be resilient.

“My idea has always been to become a surgeon, but I’m definitely still thinking about being a crochet designer on the side.”

Check out more of his craftwork below:  

Courtesy of Jonah’s Hands

Courtesy of Jonah’s Hands

Courtesy of Jonah’s Hands

Courtesy of Jonah’s Hands

Courtesy of Jonah’s Hands

Courtesy of Jonah’s Hands

Courtesy of Jonah’s Hands

Courtesy of Jonah’s Hands)

Courtesy of Jonah’s Hands

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