No, it's just me that's obtuse--this pattern is very straightforward. I read the directions, said "well that seems clear" and then proceeded to do the exact opposite of what I was supposed to. Pretty sure this was a dyslexia thing. I ended up having to cut a couple of seams off since picking the stitches out was ruining the fabric, so now I *just* barely fit into the thing. But it's done, and between the color and the cut I now have half a mermaid costume should I ever need one ;-)