SHARING HIS PASSION WITH OTHERS. >> AND USING HIS SPECIAL SKILL
TO GIVE BACK.
>> LOTS OF PEOPLE SAY I CAN
CROCHET FAST.
CROCHET FAST. >> Reporter: 11-YEAR-OLD JONAH
LARSON IS A SELF-TAUGHT CROCHET
PRODIGY.
PRODIGY. BUT THE PATH TO FINDING HIS
PASSION WASN’T EASY.
BORN IN ETHIOPIA, HE POENTSPENT
FIRST LIFEFIVE MONTHS OF HIS LIF
ON ORPHANAGE.
ON ORPHANAGE. HE WAS ADOPTED.
DOCTORS TOLD THE LARSENS HE MAY
HAVE DEVELOPMENTAL DELAYS.
>> HE WAS VERY ILL.
WE BROUGHT HIM BACK.
HE IS LIKE A LITTLE MIRACLE
CHILD.
CHILD. >> Reporter: HIS PARENTS SAY BY
THE TIME HE WAS 3 HE WAS ALREADY
READING.
READING. WHEN HE TURNED 5 HE DISCOVERED A
CHO
CHO CROCHET HOOK.
CROCHET HOOK. >> BY THE TIME HE WAS SEVEN HE
WAS MAKING AFGHANS.
>> I THINK HE MADE AROUND 100
AFGHANS.
AFGHANS. >> Reporter: JONAH PICKS UP THE
CROCHET SHOOK
CROCHET SHOOK CROCHET HOOK AS SOON AS HE GETS
HOME FROM SCHOOL.
>> WE TALK ABOUT THE DAY AND
BEHAVIORS AND IT IS A GOOD TIME
TO TALK ABOUT VALUES.
>> Reporter: JEN BELIEVES
CROCHETING HELPED HIM WORK
THROUGH DISCIPLINE ISSUES AT
SCHOOL.
SCHOOL. >> I TALKED TOO MUCH, ENTER
REPRESENTED, DIDN’T LET OTHER
PEOPLE COMPLETE TER ORC.
>> Reporter: A TEACHER SUGGESTED
HE BRING HIS CROCHET TO CLASS TO
KEEP HIM FOCUS THE.
>> AFTER HE STARTED CROCHETING
AT SCHOOL WE NEVER RECEIVED A
PHONE CALL AGAIN.
>> Reporter: AFTER A LOCAL
NEWSPAPER STORY ABOUT JONAH’S
PASSION FOR CROCHET WENT VIRAL
HIS BROTHER HELPED HIM START A
YOUTUBE CHANNEL.
YOUTUBE CHANNEL. >> I’M STARTING MY OWN YOUTUBE
CHANNEL THANKS TO ALL OF YOU WHO
KEEP ASKING FOR IT.
>> Reporter: HE SAYS HE DONATES
MOST OF HIS WORK TO CHARITY AND
RAISES MONEY FOR THE ORPHANAGE
IN ETHIOPIA.
IN ETHIOPIA. >> I SEE CROCHET AS A POSITIVE
WAY TO BRING THE WORLD TOGETHER
AND IT’S JUST A CRAFT THAT
EVERYBODY COMES TOGETHER AND
ENJOYS.
ENJOYS. >> AND WE HAVE JONAH LARSON HERE
WITH HIS MOM JENNIFER.
GOOD MORNING.
GOOD MORNING. I LOVE YOUR ENERGY SO MUCH I
COULD CRY.
COULD CRY. I SAW HIM IN THE CONCOURSE.
HE HAD THIS CUTE JACKET.
I SAID I WANT ONE OF THOSE.
HIS MOM SAID, I HAVE ANOTHER
ONE.
ONE. I AM WEARING IT.
WE WILL GET INTO THAT IN A
MOMENT.
MOMENT. DO YOU REMEMBER THE FIRST TIME
YOU STARTED TO CROCHET?
WHAT WAS IT ABOUT IT THAT JUST
PULLED YOU INTO IT?
>> IT WAS THE MOTION OF PUTTING
MY HOOK THROUGH THE YARN AND
SLIDING THROUGH ALL THE LOOPS.
IT JUST KEPT ME TOO IT.
IT WAS QUITE FUN, TOO.
>> HE HAS BEEN DOING THIS THE
LAST TWO MINUTES WITHOUT LOOKING
AT HIS HANDS.
LIKE IT’S SECOND NATURE TO HIM.
>> I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY, YOU ARE A
SPEED CROCHETER.
SPEED CROCHETER. HOW LONG WOULD IT TAKE YOU TO
MAKE, I DON’T KNOW, LIKE A HAT
OR A SCARF?
>> I CAN MAKE A HAT IN 46
MINUTES.
MINUTES. >> 46 MINUTES?
>> ARE YOU SERIOUS?
>> WHAT ARE YOU MAKING RIGHT
NOW?
NOW? >> I’M JUST CROCHETING BACK AND
FORTH.
FORTH. >> I’M TRYING TO FOLLOW WHAT YOU
ARE DOING.
ARE DOING. YOU ARE DO IT SO FAST, I CAN’T
FIGURE OUT WHAT YOU ARE DOING.
>> LOOK AT THESE BOOTIES.
YOU MADE SHE HAD FOR HOPE,
HODA’S DAUGHTER?
HODA’S DAUGHTER? >> YES.
>> YES. I HEARD SHE WAS, I HEARD SHE
ADOPTED.
ADOPTED. SO I MADE SOME BABY BOOT TEASE
FOR
FOR TIES WITH HER DAUGHTER.
>> THAT RESONATES WITH YOU?
>> YES, I WAS ONCE AN ORPHAN.
IT’S CLOSE TO MY HEART.
SO I MADE THOSE.
>> JENNIFER, HERE IS THE THING.
THIS IS A PASSION THAT YOU
THOUGHT WOULD SUBSIDE.
YOU DIDN’T THINK THIS WAS
SOMETHING HE WOULD STICK WITH
ALL THESE YEARS SNRJTS I DIDN’T.
LIKE MY OTHER CHILDREN, FIRST
THEY WERE INTO TRAINS AND THEN
PIRATES.
PIRATES. ON AND ON.
AND WITH JONAH I THOUGHT GIVE
HIM A FEW MONTHS AND HE’LL GO ON
TO SOMETHING ELSE, AND HE
DIDN’T.
DIDN’T. HE JUST KEPT ADVANCING, WATCHING
MORE DIFFICULT TUTORIALS.
AND SHEERHERE HE IS TODAY.
>> WHY DO YOU THINK YOU HAVE
STUCK ABOUT IT SO LONG?
DO YOU FIND IT’S CALMING?
DOES IT GIVE YOU SOMETHING TO DO
WITH YOUR HANDS SO YOU FOCUS ON
OTHER THINGS?
OTHER THINGS? >> IT’S VERY CALMING AND SORT OF
LIKE THERAPY IN A WAY.
AND THAT’S NICE WHEN YOU HAVE A
REALLY BUSY MIND AND YOU ARE AN
ACTIVE PERSON.
ACTIVE PERSON. >> I LOVE THIS.
BEFORE YOU LEAVE US THIS
MORNING, I KNOW YOU HAVE AN
INSTAGRAM PAGE.
INSTAGRAM PAGE. OBVIOUSLY, YOU HAVE THIS YOUTUBE
NL CHA.
NL CHA. IF PEOPLE WANT TO SUPPORT YOU
AND PURCHASE SOME.
THINGS -- DO YOU SELL THEM?
I KNOW SOME OF THE PROCEEDS D
GO -- WHERE DO THEY GO?
YOU TELL ME.
>> I AM NOT SELLING ANY ITEMS.
WE HAVE HAD LIKE 4,500 ORDERS.
>> OH?
>> OH? >> IT’S JUST YOUR TWO HANDS.
>> I KNOW.
WE HAD TO LIKE CLOSE DOWN SHOP
FOR A LITTLE WHILE.
>> WE ARE ABOUT TO BREAK THE
INTERNET RIGHT NOW.
>> AND THEN MOVE TO MORE LIKE
THE BUSINESS COLLABORATIONS.
>> WOW.
>> WOW. >> AND SO, YEAH.
AND DESIGNING ITEMS AND ACTUALLY
I DESIGNED THIS JACKET AND THE
SHIRT UNDERNEATH IT.
THEY WILL BE -- THE SHIRTS WILL
BE AVAILABLE SOON.
>> THAT’S WHYERE I GOT THAT FROM
THE PROCEEDS GO BACK TO -- IS IT
A VILLAGE?
A VILLAGE? >> IT’S ROOTS ETHIOPIA BASED OUT
OF MADISON.
OF MADISON. AND THEY HELP THAT REGION AND
VILLAGE I WAS BORN AND SUPPORTS
THEM AND KEEPS FAMILIES TOGETHER
BY HELPING PEOPLE IN TRADES AND
HELPS WITH ORPHAN CARE.
>> YOU ARE SUCH A SPECIAL BOY.
DO YOU WANT US TO LEARN HOW DO
IT SO WE CAN HELP YOU?
>> YES.
>> YES. >> PEOPLE IN THE BACKGROUND OF
LAUGHING.
LAUGHING. WE WOULD LIKE TO KEEP YOUR
BUSINESS GROWING.
BUSINESS GROWING. >> WHAT DO YOU WANT TO GROW UP,
BUDDY?
BUDDY? >> WHAT’S THE END GAME HERE?
>> I WOULD LIKE TO BE A SURGEON
AND GO BACK TO ETHIOPIA AND GIVE
FREE SURGERIES.
FREE SURGERIES. >> WELL, YOU HAVE THE HANDS FOR
IT.
IT. I MEAN, CLEARLY.
>> AND YOU HAVE THE HEART FOR
IT.
IT. >> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT.
>> I AM IN LOVE.
BEFORE WE GO TO BREAK, REALLY
QUICKLY, WHAT DO WE HAVE TO DO?
>> ARE YOU SHOWING US?
>> WHY ARE YOU TRYING?
>> I WANT TO LEARN.
>> SHOW US.
HOW DO WE DO IT?
>> BEFORE HE GET TO THAT, I HAVE
TO SAY THE PERSON WHO HELPED ME
DESIGN THESE IS A CELEBRITY
DESIGNER AND HE HELPED ME ALONG
THIS PATH AND JOURNEY.
>> I SAID IT.
THIS IS HIS FAVORITE BLANKET.
>> I REALLY LOVE LIKE HOW LACY
IT IS.
IT IS. I JUST LOVE THE COLORS.
LIKE THE CITRUS COLORS AND LIKE
BEAUTIFUL SUNSETS.
BEAUTIFUL SUNSETS. >> AND THE QUALITY OF IT, I
MEAN, I AM LOOKING FOR A SINGLE
MISTAKE AND THERE IS NOT A
MISTAKE IN THIS THING.
>> YOU ARE NOT SELLING ANYMORE,
BUT CAN I BUY SOMETHING?
>> WE WANT TO SUPPORT YOU.
>> WELL, YOU COULD DONATE TO MY
GOFUNDME FOR ROOTS ETHIOPIA.
>> OKAY.
>> OKAY. >> BECAUSE I HAVE A GOFUNDME UP
FOR THAT.
FOR THAT. CURRENTLY, WE ARE AT LIKE
$17,000.
$17,000. >> THAT’S GREAT.
YOU MUST BE SO PROUD.
WE HAVE TO GO.