I was trying to come up with another method of "bending" a gradient using pattern along path. I thought I could create a path with a gradient fill, copy it to the clipboard and use that as the pattern along a curved path. When I apply the effect, it simply applies the shape of my pattern with no fill. Anybody know how to fix this?

I do believe this is the way it is supposed to work (or at least always has) - the LPE pattern on path only applies the geometry but uses the fill and stroke of the original on the canvas. The extension works differently but it will still apply the already defined gradient to the new object.
Kudos for trying an end run around the curved gradient restriction though! The problem is that until SVG has a way to describe a curved gradient (vectorally) AND Inkscape implements it there really is no way to trick the XML into having this effect. It has to write it into the svg file, if you understand my meaning.
The interpolation method is okay for small objects but for anything large the number of nodes needed for a smooth blend becoms staggering.