I have been working fiercely on a cute spring dress for my daughter. I made the size 8 which I thought would be a little big. Well, it turned out to be a lot too wide and a lot too short. I could never get the gauge right. I ripped the whole thing out. Now I am following the pattern for the Size 4 for the width and the Size 8 for the length. Giving my gauge, this should make it a Size 6 width but longer for growth. I think I'm going to leave it sleeveless. Perhaps it will be a great dress for next fall.
I also bought a book called, The Knitter's Book of Finishing Techniques by Nancie M. Wiseman. It describes various knitting techniques, but more importantly, it tells you when to use them and when not to use them. I'm learning a lot and I hope it will show up in my knitting.