Thursday, March 22, 2007

Ballerina help please!!

I am using Amy's spreadsheet and am now on row 770 of the size m/l. This is the center back. The pattern directions say that from this point forward, the remainder of the jacket is a mirror image of the first part. I am having trouble understanding this since the stitch numbers do not mirror each other. There are 20 more stitches on the first half than the second(row 768 has 181 stitches and it's mirror image, row 772 has 161 stitches). Can someone please explain what the directions mean. I assume that a mirror image is precisely the same with the same number of stitches. This is probably a stupid question, but it doesn't make sense to me. I'm afraid I'll be in big trouble if I don't understand this and will have to finish on my own since I'm almost to the end of my beloved spreadsheet.

5 comments:

amy! said...

Sherri --

The Center Back row is the middle of a gusset that you work by finishing up all the short rows you used to make the first half of it. In row 770, you clean up all the YOs you made in the first half of that gusset, which by my calculation, was 21 YOs. That's why there's suddenly a large change in the number of stitches on the needle.

You did the same thing on row 641 in the middle of the first gusset.

Now I have to scramble madly to get the 2nd sleeve directions finished and stay ahead of you! Mirror imaging the sleeve is tricky.

sherri said...

I think I get it. I am just going to keep following the spreadsheet, Amy, and praying you'll get it finished at some point. As I've said many times, I don't know what I'd do without you, friend. Hanne's language is so darned confusing. The sleeve is what really worries me. Thanks for the explanation.

sherri said...

P.S. Amy,
I got caught up in Hanne's language. To me, a mirror image means that the rows and numbers should be the same. I can easily follow the spreadsheet directions, but I just didn't understand her terminology.Thanks for clarfiying.

amy! said...

The sleeve is what has been giving me fits. Because I'd work it out, as I thought it was supposed to go and then get confused with her language. Or she'd tell you to do the YOs on the raglan shaping X number of times, but given the stitches I had, that didn't work out in the row-by-row.

But I think I'm getting there. I looked again today when looking up your question and realized that I'm further through it than I thought. I need to double-check where I am and then I can probably send out an update.

As for the "mirror image" terminology, yeah, it's a little misleading. She means that the shaping and stuff should be the same, on the two opposite sides, the techniques you use to accomplish that differ somewhat. Now I'm having small horrors wondering what someone's Ballerina would look like if they just turned around at the midpoint and worked back up my spreadsheet!!

sherri said...

Yes, Amy, that's what I thought. I figured I could just work back up the spreadsheet. I am so glad you are struggling through for us and nearly finished. I totally understand that it takes a long time and you've had so much on your plate. Thanks again and I'll look forward to receiving it when you finish. You're awesome.