And it is ... finished?

Tempting I is finished... Am I happy? Well first you have to hear the story.

So I made the mistake of reading Knitting Rules before I finished Tempting I and it talked about bad first sweaters and I began to get nervous. Tempting was already looking huge on the needles and the stress was rushing to my head. I set myself a deadline of last night to finish it, I was determined, I was a knitting flash, I was worrying with every stitch. I also read in Knitting Rules about her friend's huge sweater, the one that fit two knitters in it and for some reason that stuck with me. I tried to deny it, claimed we got close to gauge. But on the other hand we were knitting a size large and part of me thinks I should have knit a medium. I was almost in a panic during the binding off stage. It was huge. It looked like an elephant skin. It was late and night and I wasn't going to bed until it was done. My apartment mate choose to ignore the wimpering coming from my room, which seemed like a wise decision.
I finished. I wove in the top yarn and left everything else on. Didn't even do the three needle bind off of the arm pits. I tried it on. And it was huge around me. Revealing Huge. But I felt calm come over me. It wasn't two people in the same sweater huge. It could be shrunk or fixed. It was going to be ok. I went to bed.
This morning on the T I finished the gauge swatch for Tempting II. As the train neared Park Street and I got close to finishing it, the worry came back "What if it is too big? Should I plan on getting off at Park Street and waiting until Windsor Button opens to buy size seven circular needles? Why did the size seven needles from Maria's kit have to be broken?" As the train left Boylston and pulled into Park Street I measured it for the third time. I had gauge horizontally. It was perfect. (I was off gauge vertically by an inch, but since the pattern calls for measurement in inches not rows, I was ok) I cast on during the rest of the ride.
I love the look of a knitting project during its first few rows. The ribbing is just starting to show, all of the promise of the pattern is there with none of the worry. It is so cute in that stage, when it could become anything.
I am slightly worried that one women on the knitty coffeehouse said that she ran out of yarn. But I am trying to ignore that thought by telling myself we bought extra. Auntie Em, I think I need your wisdom in this problem.

Oh, a few more things. Here are some patterns I like from MagKnits:
Holy Cable! Honorine Sesame Oh, and I love this one for a guy. Hmm, notice how they are all more advanced then I am in knitting... I will have to grow into them I think.