Too much knitting, not enough time? Or vice versa?

I suffer from the classic knitter/crocheter conundrum: too many projects, needs, wants, wips; not enough time. But I seem to be in an unusual situation this week. Due to the fact that I had the stomach flu, the cold for 10 days, and now I have thrown out my neck, I have not blogged for a while. I know. Shame on me. Also, I had been doing some gift knitting for a fellow blogger/podcaster, and I wanted it to be a surprise.
So I have completed a bunch of projects to post. In the interest of not wanting to stay online for 3 hrs giving a blow-by-blow of each project, I will endeavor, instead, to give a brief synopsis. Here goes:

This is the Columbia Beret pattern by Sarah Pope, aka Blue Garter. I used Columbia Stock Ranch 2 ply wool in black cherry. Love the wool. Great feel. Very earthy. They reccomended fulling, which I did, but I wouldn't do again. I made the largest size due to my gargantuan head, and I think that it made it a little too big. This was a test for the next Columbia beret I was going to make:

This beret was made in rich soil for Alana Dakos from Never Not Knitting as a gift. It literally has no mistakes in it. That is right. No mistakes. But I did lengthen the top notch ties  because I found the original ones a little too short to make a half hitch.

This is the diamond head beret. I have discovered that while I love autumn colors, I don't look good in very many, with the exception of green. I am, in fact, a winter. So dark, jewel-toned colors look really good on me. I have a recent obcession with plum. This is with some Cascade 220 I had left over. I really like it.

This is a test knit sample of the shawl collared cowl pattern for and by Alana Dakos of Never Not Knitting. I was asked to use Becoming Art Yarn's bulky in Warming Earth. This is my first time using the product, and I liked it. I definitely would not have chosen this colorway. Just not my style. I don't have much to match it. But I can think of some people who would. The reason why the picture looks kind of funky is because I ran out of yarn and had to put the live stitches on waste yarn. In addition, there were no buttons. Alana wanted it sent out that way.
And last, but not least, was the French Press Slippers debacle. It was supposed to be a 1 day project. I ended up using up 2/3 of my Cascade 220, Cascade Venezia, and Brown Sheep trying to make this. It is an easy-to-follow pattern. But the felting was just madness.  I'm talking about apocalyptic, bedlam! Insanity! I must have gone through 5 pairs of slippers to get 1 decent pair. I cried buckets of tears. I was inconsolable. Finally I gave up and bought the crochet pattern version. For those of you who can crochet just as well as you knit, don't bother with the Meylinda Bernardi pattern. Buy the crochet version. It's easier, quicker, cuter, and you get more consistent results.
When I think of how much yarn was wasted with that project attempt that I could have used somewhere else, I nearly have a stroke. That is why there are no pics of that here. I am trying to block it out. But you are welcome to go to my ravelry page to check it out. There. I am now done with the longest post ever. Adios!