Sometimes, a person just has to start over.

First, however, a digression by way of exposition:

The terms “frogging” and “colorwork” come from the fine art of knitting. “Colorwork” is an un-obtuse term meaning when you make a pattern with different colors and keep having to pick up a different strand of yarn.

“Frogging,” on the other hand, has its own peculiar etymology. It means throwing up your hands on your knitting project and ripping out the entire project by the roots. Why call it frogging? I’ve heard it said that maybe the very first frogger was heard to mutter “Rip it! Rip it! Rip it!” while tearing her lovely project all to shreds.

Get it? Rip it rip it rip it?

Anyway, my last bout of frogging got me to thinking of an accounting concept called the “sunk cost fallacy.” Briefly this means that the more blood sweat and tears you put into a failing project, the more you want to put into it because you have already put so much. . .as in, I’ve put so much treasure into this; what a waste it would be to quit now!

But sometimes, you just have to start over. This is regardless if the project is an exceptionally lumpy piece of colorwork, a business venture, or a drawing of a humanoid snail.

When to keep plugging, and when to cut one’s losses? I have no idea.

You have to play it by ear.