Recently I had the privilege to spend some time with Jonah Larson, crocheter extraordinaire! For the past few years he has steadily gained social media attention as he shares his love of crochet with his fans from all over the world.

Touted as a crochet prodigy and master crocheter, Jonah first picked up a crochet hook at the age of 5 when his aunt dropped off a bag of craft supplies that she no longer used. After watching dozens of videos, Jonah taught himself to crochet and made a dishcloth as his first project. And as Jonah himself will tell you, from that moment on he was hooked!

Photo courtesy of Jennifer Larson

Jonah went on to make hundreds of hats, dozens of afghans and scores of his signature cowls. It seems any conceivable project that can be crocheted, Jonah has made successfully, at least once! As a matter of fact, at age 11, Jonah can crochet through almost 25 skeins of yarn a week, all while attending school and maintaining excellent grades!

Jonah clearly loves to crochet, but he also enjoys spreading the joy by teaching others. He has shared the craft of crochet with state politicians, his teachers and classmates, and through numerous local and national TV guest appearances. He even has his own YouTube channel where you can watch tutorials on his latest projects.

Recently Jonah and his mom visited our offices and studio to film a class for Annie’s Creative Studio. Learn to Crochet with Jonah is a six-part series perfect for new and beginning crocheters.

I was able to spend some time with Jonah and his mom and share the cover of the December 2019 issue  of Crochet World which features the pattern for his Nordic Winter Afghan and includes an great interview covering the projects Jonah is currently working on including the book he and his mom wrote together about his life (so far!)

Jonah’s generous nature and quick smile, along with his love of crochet makes him the perfect ambassador for our craft. Sharing his story of adoption, difficulties in school and how crochet became the touchstone that helped him through the rough patches, speaks to the real life struggles we all face. From his young perspective we are reminded that we too can find patches of joy in our daily lives.  True to his life philosophy, the title of his recently published book sums it all up: Hello, Crochet Friends! Making Art, Being Mindful, Giving Back: Do What Makes You Happy.

You can find Jonah’s Nordic Winter Afghan pattern and interview in the December 2019 issue of Crochet World at your local craft and book stores or online here.

Jonah’s book is available here.

You can learn more about Annie’s Creative Studio here.

The December 2019 issue of Crochet World is now ready as a digital download and will be on the newsstands October 29! It is full of great projects for the upcoming holiday season.

We are very excited to share an exclusive afghan pattern by 11-year-old crochet prodigy, Jonah Larson! The Nordic Winter Afghan featured on the cover is a real show-stopper and works up quickly in bulky weight yarn. You’ll also find an interview with Jonah and learn more about his new book released this year and his new Learn to Crochet with Jonah video series for kids.

I am in love with the gorgeous shawl designed by Denise Voie de Vie using yarn I hand-dyed for this project. It was a fun collaboration and may entice you to try your hand at dyeing your own yarn. We’ve included a photo tutorial in this issue to show you how easy and fun it is to do!

There are several patterns you can crochet quickly to give as gifts.

And a few projects you may just have to make for your home!

To see all 22 projects, click here. Get your digital copy now or look for this issue at your favorite craft or book store beginning October 29!

The new Signature Design Collection is here! Just in time for fall, you’ll find 14 exciting new designs for your wardrobe and 7 gorgeous projects to make for your home.

Lena Skvagerson, Lead Designer for Annie’s Signature Collection shares her inspiration behind the beautiful designs, “Autumn is my favorite season. Soon nighttime will arrive earlier and temperatures will drop. I’m passionate about transforming my feelings for autumn into a collection full of modern and wearable clothes.

Our Autumn 2019 collection is focused on texture. You’ll find Gansey crochet, inspired by the knitted fisherman sweaters of the British Isles, luscious embossed crochet and the classic and timeless granny square!

All of these designs are intended to be new and different while keeping the core values and principles of Annie’s Signature Designs intact.

I’m just as eager for the colorful days and renewed energy of the coming season as I am excited to present this collection.”

All patterns are available individually and many include the option of purchasing the yarn used, so you know your results will be stunning!

Click here to see the entire fall collection.

If you have been crocheting for even a few years, you may have come across Sophie’s Universe, a unique crochet afghan that has been made over 6,500 times by Ravelry fans!

Sophie’s Universe is a continuous square afghan crocheted with lots of texture and surface detail. The pattern was originally released as a 20-part crochet-along (CAL) in 2015, designed by Dedri Uys and sponsored by Scheepjes yarn. The concept of a crochet-along is that one person posts a large project bit by bit, either on a blog or Facebook, and a group of people all work on it at the same time.

Sophie’s Universe is one of the most popular CALs of all time and was made into a printed book and published by Scheepjes in the Netherlands, but was not made available in the U.S. until recently.

Annie’s is proud to announce that the popular crochet-along is available in printed format for U.S. customers exclusively from Annie’s.

Despite its complexity, the pattern is actually written specifically for adventurous beginners. Sophie starts out with a simple granny square that has a beautiful crochet flower in the center and gradually unfolds into a stunning hypnotizing design.

The book instructions are broken up into 18 different sections allowing the crocheter to stitch the pattern bit by bit and to see the design unfold as they stitch. Also included are step-by-step color photos and instructions of every stitch used in the afghan to ensure success for even adventurous beginners!

The blanket can be made in 3 sizes using a different weight of Scheepjes yarn. Annie’s is now carrying all 3 weights, so you can choose which size you would like to make.

Get your copy of Sophie’s Universe here and have fun making this unique afghan!

The October 2019 issue of Crochet World is now ready as a digital download and will be on the newsstands August 27! It is full of great projects for the upcoming autumn season.

The Roundabout Autumn Throw from the cover is such a striking afghan! Featured in the Going in Circles chapter, you’ll have fun crocheting this project full of color and textured stitches.

I love the Kimono Cardi. The easy, oversized shape makes it the perfect go-to sweater for cooler weather.

The Beginner’s Luck Cowl is the creative solution of designer Debra Lea! Her beginning crochet students always wanted to end up with a project they could use, so she developed this pretty cowl!

The Autumn Checkerboard Rug uses a self-striping yarn to create the complex-looking color changes which alternates just 2 different yarns in a simple checkerboard pattern.

I have added the Tiffany Poncho to my crochet ‘to do’ list! Designer Dora Ohrenstein chose a pretty open work shell stitch from her new book, Crochet Every Way Stitch Dictionary to create a light and airy open design. By the way, Dora’s book is one every crocheter should add to their library! Read the review here.

We’ve featured a few thread projects too, including this Swirling Leaves Doily.

And we even have a pattern for a fun Puppy Bed to match the Cute & Cozy Cat Basket from our October 2018 issue of Crochet World!

You can see all 23 projects here. And don’t forget to look for your copy at your favorite craft or bookstore beginning August 27!