The Sisyphus Sleeve

We've all been there. Whether it's a knitted item or a task  at the office, at some point, we've all felt like Sisyphus.
You put in time and effort, sometimes taking extra care to avoid making one mistake, only to realize you've made another, more serious one. It's the kind of mistake that affects the physical structure of the item or completely louses up the color work. Wendy and Rosemary were there recently with the main body of their sweaters. I completely agree with the advice from Wendy's friend Beth on how to deal with knitting mistakes.

I mentioned before that I had to rip back because I was doing my decreases wrong. If I had ignored that one, the sleeve would've been the wrong size and shape. Once I finished the second sleeve, I realized I was not finished pushing this boulder up the hill; the whales on both sleeves were facing the same direction. I thought about it carefully. Did I really need to rip back my finished sleeve to knit the whale facing the other direction? Yes, it would have bothered me every time I looked at it. I felt much better after I re-did it, especially since it didn't take very long.

The only kind of frogging I like

The weekend before last, we saw this beauty trying to look inconspicuous next to the hot tub. It was about 4.5 inches long. I knew it was a leopard frog, but really nothing beyond that. I found out that there are fourteen species of leopard frog. I believe this is a Southern Leopard frog, Rana sphenocephala. 

This past weekend, I spotted this little guy in the tool shed when I went to get the rake to turn the compost pile. I have no guesses as to what kind he might be. He was different than the other frogs and toads I've sen recently, so I decided to take his  picture. I went back in the house for my camera, mentioning to Vova what I'd found. On my way out the door, I smiled somewhat sheepishly and said, "Turning into an eff-ing naturalist, aren't I?" He laughed and agreed.


While turning the compost pile, I found four more:

 Even if they weren't covered in dirt, I would have no idea what kind they are. I'll try to stick to this kind of frogging.