Seriously?!? But I swatched!!

I feel BETRAYED!! 
{Yeah, that looks better when I spell it right. Back to the tirade...}
{Oh - whilst you're reading this, would you please apply a melodramatic and slightly whiny tone to the tirade?}
{Thanks.}

I was virtuous - I swatched. Several times! {kinda}
At the January Bear Cabin Retreat I cast on to swatch.

I measured in 3 different places on the swatch as advised by Gwen Bortner in the gauge class I took with her a couple of years ago!

{Apologies - I edited/correct picture inserted on 3/30 when
I realized I'd posted the same gauge pic twice.} 

I didn't initially get gauge {too many stitches per inch} so I changed up a needle-size and swatched some more. Which left me with just slightly too few stitches per inch. {SIGH}

I figured I was in the ballpark and cast on, considering that it would probably work for this project - The Origami Pullover. It has a poncho-like roominess with nice drape-potential. And it's all 1 x 1 ribbing so I figured it would be ok. {i.e. inherent stretchiness}

{Sigh}
Alas, I knit for about 18 inches on the smaller "front panel" and, although I liked the resulting fabric, the back of my brain whispered "You'd better re-check your gauge.".  So I did.
And {ACK!} - I was getting significantly more stitches to the inch!?!

Which also meant I was even shorter of the expected width for the required gauge and I began to wonder if I would have enough yarn.

Well....that's not fair! 

Um, Minor Point {confession}: In all fairness, I feel I must note that I didn't actually cast off to make an actual separate swatch square...or wash the swatch. Or keep it. Ok, I did take pictures, but still... 

However (!!), the above point should have absolutely NO bearing on the fact that gauge and the universe betrayed me when I was virtuous, semi-methodical, and I had faithfully swatched!!

Ok-then. Moving on. {wry grin}
I swatched some more (on my 18-inches of wrong-sized knitting) with a larger needle and I was back in the vicinity of the pattern-gauge. Actually, I was literally at gauge. Bizarre.
Ripping ensued and I started over.

Well see what happens next in the adventure that is my knitting.
But, based on previous experience, MY gauge isn't to be trusted.