Egypt--De Land of DeNial

I'm back from the land of denial after some increases on the autumn vest I've been working on for DS started looking wonky. Sat back, took stock, and realized that aside from the actual problems maintaining the pattern with the increases, I was kidding myself that the back was long enough. I'd followed the pattern and stopped straight knitting at around 15" to begin the neck bind-off and start the separate shoulder sections. But heck, it's too short! I know DS wants it to skim the thighs, and the look will be much more sartorial if it does this than if I make it fall at the hip bones. Anyone who knits for someone else had better listen to what the person says she wants if the item has a chance of being worn and loved.

So rip-rip-rip I went, and got the two separate balls separately rewound, the bind-off unbound again, the stitches reinserted on the needle, and now it's time to get the back the right length. Once I've done that, I'll get some help understanding the increase section (on the upper front panels) so that it stays in the mistake rib pattern.

To console myself in the interim, I've been making more little pouches, some from a cut-up PJ shirt that I don't wear (bottoms are great, but tailored PJ shirts with the lapels and all, not my cuppa--that's what old t-shirts are for!) from whose sleeves I made pouches that already had a nice cuff edge for the drawstring top.

DD#3 made a nice pillow sham for some pillows I purchased way back when at IKEA (ready to be covered), which has given me added confidence that I can make DS the pillow shams she's requested for their new 60s era pad in Palm Springs. When she's here later this week (yay! sister visits are the BEST!) I can show her fabrics, both mine and available on the internet) so that the patterns are truly what she envisions. She's bringing me one of her sofa pillows (which I'm effectively recovering) so that I can get exact dimensions. But seeing that DD#3 did hers so sensibly, I know it will be a piece of cake, if I do things carefully.