Preliminary Submission - Horse Latitudes

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C h a r a c t e r # 7

R i g a

C r o c h e t W o m a n

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3 DEFINING IMAGES:

CROCHET PATTERN

CITY OF RIGA

ALONE IN THE DARK

T h i s I s H e r S t o r y

Velna Ollendorff is a 47 year old woman who lives in Riga, Latvia. Her parents were both killed when she was 5 years old during the Red Army invasion in mid 1900’s.
Velna then lived in an orphanage throughout her childhood. During this time she learned to hate war and violence and the word love. The affect of her war-swallowed parents had made her afraid of everyone one and everything. She looks around corners before walking; she keeps a lit candle at night and never trusts anyone. Winter was also something she feared because of her lack of clothing and linen. With very few personal belongings and no friends, Velna used to sit on her weary mattress and crochet blankets and clothes for herself. The yarn and crochet hook was given to her by the owner of the orphanage and is Velna’s most prized possession.
By the time she was 18, Velna had a large pile of crocheted clothing and blankets. She had begun to get used to coping with her fear of winter and started to give clothing and linen to other young children within the orphanage. In her early twenties, Velna became the caretaker at the orphanage helping the children cope with the effects of being parentless and to essentially be there friend.
Velna would teach the children what she knew in basic mathematics and how to crochet. The children loved Velna like a mother and played games with her such as marbles, and chase. By the time she was 25, Velna had decided she needed to explore the world outside of the orphanage. Leaving the children behind her and packing all her clothing, linen and crochet hook. Velna headed across the Riga River on her old worn shoes she was given on her 21st birthday by the orphanage. Dragging along her large rope bound roll of linen hanging from her shoulders, the summer heat caused her to frequently stop along the road. Eventually she spotted a little craft shop just on the edge of the city where she earned a job as a professional Crochet maker.
Slowly earning money, Velna was able to rent a unit in a nearby apartment building where she started to build up her assets and make her own life. Working all week and on weekends and also taking over ownership of the shop, she made a name for herself as one of the finest crochet makers in all Latvia. People would come from all over Latvia to order lace and doily’s as well as personal crochet items such as small people, flowers and socks. The Queen visited the little shop to personally purchase some Irish style crochet lace which she then promoted crochet as an imitation of a status symbol. The Queen also took lessons from Velna to learn how to crochet herself.
At the age of 45, Velna sold the shop and bought a modern building in the centre of Riga where she developed a fabulous style of lace. Velna then owned a professional line of Crochet lace called Ollendorff V, which became a luxurious item throughout European homes.
Today, Velna Ollendorff is a poor orphan turned rich crochet designer at the age of 47 living in the heart of historic Riga.

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