A Swatch-Buckling Good Time

Well I've had it up to here with swatches! I know they are important, and not to be messed with...but well, they just feel like such a waste of time & yarn...and so boring! Now usually I wouldn't be such a complainer...but here's my problem. So all those ones to the right there (minus the teapot cozy swatch)... I did for the mancala game I plan to make. Now if you look closely you will notice the green one is felted, but the other 2 orange toned ones are not. This is because I made the foolish mistake of not reading the label closely, and only after trying to hand felt them for about 15 minutes, did I realize they had been treated so they are machine washable (=no felting). So I can't use them for the game. So I went and bought more yarn today, which means I will have to do more swatches. In the meantime I just finished up that little black mohair swatch for the "to dye for" sweater out of SnB Handbook. It looks really simple, and with all of the disasters I have had in knitting clothes so far, I am hoping this one is a bit more fool-proof. (speaking of, I plan on frogging the fad-classic tonight so I can begin reknitting it in the smaller size...oy) Now my only worry is after knitting that little swatch, if I pull it one way it is 4 inches across but 5 inches tall, then i pull it the other way and it becomes 5 inches across, 4 inches tall. So do i just go for it and pull it in the hopefully right direction when I wear it? Ah the drama. I also would like to try knitting the pattern from the top down, as my torso is about all of a whopping 3 inches long and everything is always way to long on me..but that equals me rearranging the pattern...and do I really want to do that to myself knowing my previous bad luck history in knitting sweaters??? choices choices...swatches swatches swatches.