want to knit vs. need to knit.

at the moment, i really NEED to be concentrating on getting beanies together to send off for the beanie festival... they're due in to alice springs by the 28th may, a date that is RAPIDLY approaching!



i've been making good progress over the last few weeks, the above were whipped up over the weekend before last, and the week just gone, the purple being finished on saturday night.
they are beanie 6 and 7 to add to the collection.

i also quickly cast on number 8 too...



and then just as quickly finished it...



the photo is from instagram last night, i was SO excited to finish up this guy, as i LOVED the way that gradient yarn was knitting up
breaking it up with a row of black between each row of colour makes the colours of the gradient yarn POP!
particularly when you compare it to the gradient beanie in the top row which is knit up in the same yarn but different colourway (cleckheaton artisan 12ply if anyone's interested ha ha).

as i still have half a ball leftover, i've cast on another, basically identical beanie, that is how much i love it ha ha!

and onto the want-to-knit things...this little blankie idea has been going round and round in my head, ever since georgie posted about it...



i resisted for so long, but the temptation was tooooo great!
both of these yarns were used in the purple beanie in the top photo, and were used in the blankie because they were already floating around from the beanie ha ha!

i also mayyyy have purchased some yarn for a test knit i promised this lady i would get knitting on.



while i was wait for my yarn to arrive, i got to swatching, poorly as usual. i'm not sure what goes on in my brain but swatching makes me more confused!
i measured my tension at 22 stitches per 4 inches, and thought i could go down a needle size to get closer to what i want at 22 stitches per 4 inches. nope, try the opposite nicole!

are you any good at swatching? what are you knitting at the moment? have you knitted a blanket before?