There's nothing this 11-year-old crocheting prodigy can't make
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When Jonah Larson was 5 years old, he taught himself how to crochet by watching YouTube tutorials, and now, just six years later, he's built his own crocheting empire.
The 11-year-old from La Crosse, Wisconsin, has his own business, Jonah's Hands; he takes orders from customers and also sells his one-of-a-kind wares online. In videos he posts to his Instagram account — which has almost 60,000 followers — Jonah makes it look easy, his fingers flying as he crochets his latest beautiful creation. "When I see my crochet work when it's done, it blows my mind to know that I, an 11-year-old with a tiny hook and a ball of yarn, made this amazing afghan, scarf, cowl, you name it," he told NPR.
With his profits, Jonah buys more yarn, does some investing, and also gives money to organizations that are important to him; he was adopted from an Ethiopian orphanage, and he often sends it crocheted items and donations. Jonah's Hands is more popular than ever, and he's had to briefly stop taking orders because he has more than 2,500 to fill. Jonah's got big plans for the future — he wants to go to West Point and become a surgeon — but for right now, 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." Catherine Garcia
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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
