>>>
>>> PERHAPS NOW MORE THAN EVER CHECKING IN WITH OLD FRIENDS
EVEN IF IT IS NOT IN PERSON CAN
FEEL PRETTY GOOD.
THAT IS WHAT -- HAS BEEN DOING
IN HIS LAND OF 10,000 STORIES.
FIRST JONAH'S STORY FROM
JANUARY 2019 AND OUR VIRTUAL
CHECK IN.
CHECK IN.
CHECK IN. >> Reporter: IN THIS CORNER
HOUSE IN LA CROSSE, WISCONSIN,
A GRANDFATHER CLOCK GIVES BEAT
TOO MANY A GRANDMOTHERS CRAFT.
>> I TURNED 11 ON JANUARY 5.
>> Reporter: JENNIFER LARSON IS
JONAH'S MOM.
JONAH'S MOM. >> I HAVE BEEN DOING IT FOR
HALF MY LIFE.
>> SOMETIMES HE GETS UP EARLY
BEFORE I AM UP AND HE IS
ALREADY CROCHETING.
ALREADY CROCHETING. UNDERNEATH THE COVERS AT NIGHT
IS HIS CROCHET HOOKS AND A
FLASHLIGHT.
FLASHLIGHT. >> WHEN HE DISCOVERED IN A BAG
OF DISCARDED ITEMS HIS AUNTS
CROCHET HOOK WHICH LED HIM TO
YOUTUBE.
YOUTUBE.
YOUTUBE. >> HE MADE A DISHCLOTH FOR HIS
FIRST PROJECT, AND HE MADE IT
PERFECTLY.
PERFECTLY. >> THAT IS THE FIRST HAT JONAH
MADE AND HE WAS FIVE.
>> IT IS MY SUNSET AFGHAN WITH
A BORDER I MADE.
IT IS A SCANDINAVIAN THROW.
>> I THINK HE WAS EIGHT WHEN HE
MADE THAT ONE.
>> Reporter: JONAH'S MOM POSTED
THE FIRST OF HIS PROJECTS ON
INSTAGRAM.
INSTAGRAM. >> HE WAS PROBABLY SEVEN AT THE
TIME.
TIME.
TIME. HE
TIME. HE HAD THAT GROUP THAT WAS
ABSOLUTELY FASCINATED AND THEN
YOU HAD THE DOUBTERS.
>> TODAY IN THIS TUTORIAL I AM
GOING TO SHOW YOU HOW TO MAKE
THESE ADORABLE BABY SHOES.
>> Reporter: NOW HE HAS
THOUSANDS OF SOCIAL MEDIA
FOLLOWERS, AND HIS OWN
CATCHPHRASE, AND A COWL NECK
TREND HE STARTED.
>> THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE STARTED
MAKING IT AND REFER TO IT AS
THE JONAH COWELL.
>> Reporter: HE ALSO GETS FAN
MAIL.
MAIL.
MAIL. MAIL AND GIFTS FROM AROUND THE
WORLD.
WORLD.
WORLD. >>
WORLD. >> YOU ARE AN INSPIRATION TO SO
MANY PEOPLE.
MANY PEOPLE. THESE ARE SOME NICE COLORS.
>> ONE DAY I CAME HOME AND
THERE WERE FIVE BOXES ABOUT
THIS SIZE ON OUR PORCH.
HE DUMPED ALL OF THAT YARN OUT
AND WAS SITTING IN THE MIDDLE
OF IT.
OF IT.
OF IT. >>
OF IT. >> Reporter: THAT IS JONAH AT
THE ORPHANAGE IN ETHIOPIA AFTER
HE WAS ABANDONED BY HIS MOTHER.
>> THERE WAS A CHANCE THAT HE
WOULD HAVE SOME COGNITIVE DELAY
BECAUSE HE WAS VERY SICK.
>> LUCKED OUT.
>> Reporter: ADOPTED BY THE
LARSON'S AT FIVE MONTHS HAS IN
HIS GRASP HIS OWN SLICE OF THE
AMERICAN DREAM.
AMERICAN DREAM. >> MY FAMILY, MY TWO DOGS, AND
CROCHETING.
CROCHETING. >> Reporter: HIS FAVORITE TIME
IS CROCHETING WITH HIS MOM
CLOSE BY.
CLOSE BY.
CLOSE BY. KEEPING TABS ON THE HUNDREDS OF
ORDERS FOR HIS WORK, A YARN THE
SPONSORSHIP, AND AN UPCOMING
TALKSHOW APPEARANCE, ALL WHILE
MASTERING ADVANCED NINTH GRADE
ALGEBRA IN THE SIXTH GRADE WITH
BIGGER PLANS AHEAD.
>> I PLANNING ON ATTENDING WEST
POINT AND BECOMING A SURGEON.
THIS IS KIND OF HELPING ME PREP
FOR THAT.
FOR THAT.
FOR THAT. >> Reporter: DR. JONAH LARSON'S
PATIENTS WILL BE IN GOOD HANDS.
>>> IT HAS BEEN A COUPLE OF
WINTERS SINCE THAT STORY AIRED,
HIS FIRST TV APPEARANCE
FOLLOWED BY MANY MORE
NATIONALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY,
BUT LIKE MOST OF US HE IS HOME
NOW AND WE THOUGHT WHAT A GOOD
TIME TO CHECK IN.
JONAH, HOW ARE YOU?
>> I AM WONDERFUL TODAY, HOW
ARE YOU?
ARE YOU?
ARE YOU? >> I SEE YOUR HANDS ARE STILL
BUSY.
BUSY.
BUSY. >>
BUSY. >> I ALWAYS CROCHETING OR
KNITTING, KEEPING MY HANDS BUSY
WITH YARN.
WITH YARN. TODAY I AM WORKING ON A PAIR OF
BABY BOOTIES AND I WILL ALSO BE
CROCHETING SOME MASKS.
I HAVE THEM HERE, AND HE HAS
TWO DIFFERENT LAYERS WITH
COTTON SO IT IS VERY WASHABLE
AND IT HAS A POCKET FOR A
SURGICAL MASK FILTER, SO YOU
HAVE THREE LAYERS OF
FILTRATION.
FILTRATION. IT IS A REALLY IMPORTANT TIME
THAT EVERYONE STAYS HOME AND
SOCIALLY DISTANCES, SO I DECIDED
TO HELP SPREAD THAT MESSAGE.
>> Reporter: DURING STAY AT
HOME, HE HAS BEEN DOING SOME
TUTORIALS QUESTION MARK
>> YES.
>> YES.
>> YES. THE MOM IS THE ONE WHO TAKES
THEM.
THEM.
THEM. >>
THEM. >> I HAVE ALSO BEEN WORKING ON
MY SECOND BOOK, I HAVE THE
COVER RIGHT HERE.
IT IS ALL PATTERNS THAT HAVE TO
DO WITH GIVING BACK, TO
HOMELESS PEOPLE OR PEOPLE WHO
ARE GOING THROUGH CHEMOTHERAPY,
OR VETERANS.
OR VETERANS. >> TELL ME ABOUT YOUR FIRST
BOOK.
BOOK.
BOOK. >>
BOOK. >> IT IS CALLED HELLO CROCHET
FRIENDS.
FRIENDS.
FRIENDS. YOU WERE THE FIRST TV STORY I
HAVE EVER DONE.
SINCE THEN I HAVE BEEN ON
LITTLE BIG SHOTS WITH MELISSA
McCARTHY.
McCARTHY.
McCARTHY. I HAVE GONE ON KELLY CLARKSON'S
SHOW, THE TODAY SHOW.
>> YOU HAVE A PROJECT THAT IS
NEAR AND DEAR TO YOUR HEART.
>> I WOULD LOVE TO BUILD A
LIBRARY IN ETHIOPIA WHERE I WAS
ADOPTED FROM, NOT EVEN NINE
MONTHS LATER, I THERE IS A
LIBRARY IN ETHIOPIA WITH MY
NAME ON IT.
>> WE SURPRISED YOU WITH A
VIDEO.
VIDEO.
VIDEO. MY
VIDEO. MY MOM WAS WEEPING, I WAS
WEEPING, THE WHOLE AUDIENCE WAS
WEEPING.
WEEPING.
WEEPING. >> HE STILL SEEMS LIKE THE SAME
JONAH, HUMBLE AND KIND.
>> HE IS THE SAME JONAH.
>> CAN YOU GIVE US YOUR
SIGNOFF?
SIGNOFF?
SIGNOFF? >> CROCHET AWAY FRIENDS.
>> WE WILL BE BACK NEXT SUNDAY
NIGHT WITH ANOTHER FROM THE
LAND OF 10,000 STORIES.
>>> IT HAS BEEN A BUSY YEAR FOR
JONAH.
JONAH.
JONAH. I
JONAH. I CANNOT BELIEVE WHAT I JUST
SAW.
SAW.
SAW. HE
SAW. HE BUILT A LIBRARY.
>> I AM 35 AND IT MAKES ME FEEL
LIKE I HAVE DONE NOTHING WITH
MY LIFE IN COMPARISON.
>> AND TO THINK HE LEARNED IT
ALL FROM YOUTUBE.
HOW THAT CHANGES THE WORLD IF
HE HAS