[jQuery] Cloning and wrapping question

[SigoTratando]

Due to the constraints of the Shopping Cart system I'm working within,
I am trying to
# In one cell within a row, create a new Paragraph object with class
p_options.
# In the next row, there are two dropdown lists.  I want to clone them
and put them in the p.p_options.

* Imagine a table that list items (shirts) in your shopping cart.  The
first row contains the img, name, price, total.
* The next row contains two dropdown lists: one, say, for color and
the other for size.  That cell is directly below the Name cell (so
they correspond).
* I'm trying to "move" the dd lists into the Name cell.

I  have succeeded in cloning the dd lists and placing in the correct
cell, but I cannot get them contained correctly.

Here is the code that almost works:
<blockquote><pre>
                var aNames = $("td.cart_name");
                //For each aNames
                for(var i = 0; i<aNames.length; i++){
                        //Get the text, add a P (container for options).
                        var oText = aNames[i];
                        $(oText).html(vText);

                        //Rewrite item Name content
                        var vId = "p_options_" + i;
                        var vText = oText.innerHTML + "<p id='" + vId + "'
class='p_options'>";

                        //Get corresponding options
                        //Add them to the container
                        var vOptStr = "select[name^='" + vIdPrefix + "']";
                        $(vOptStr).clone().appendTo(aNames[i]);
                        $(aNames[i]).append("</p>");
                }
</pre></blockquote>
This almost works in that the dd list are correctly placed, but the
looping produces more </p>s than there should be.

I also tried this:
<blockquote><pre>
                var aNames = $("td.cart_name");

                //Insert a new object.
                $("td.cart_name").append("<p class='p_options'><!--  --></p>") ;

                //Find the elements. Select = dd lists.
                var vOptStr = "select[name*='finopt']";
                //Find the p.p_options that I want to put the dd list into.
                var vPoptions = "p[id^='p_options_']";
                var oPoptions = $(vPoptions);
                var oOptStr = $(vOptStr);

                //Put the dd lists into the p.p_options containers.
//              $(vOptStr).clone().appendTo($(vPoptions));
//              $(vPoptions).append($(vOptStr).clone());
                oPoptions.html(oOptStr).clone();
</pre></blockquote>
This one does not work at all.  As you can see, I've tried several
variations (and what you see here are only a few!).

Any ideas!

Thanks tons in advance!