Which-Crafts?

I know it seems like a big whooptedoo for a pair of socks, but the last bit seemed to take for F*ing ever. The first sock has some significant fit problems, the 2nd sock fits better - but still is way baggy (same amount of stitches, I think I knit it tighter). I knit them in Austerman Step which was mostly find to knit with, but washes up so soft that with a little wear they stretched-out even more than I was expecting. In any case, for a first pair I am very pleased with the end results, and being that there were no mistakes that took major frogging, I am feeling like I did a pretty good job in parsing out what I was doing.

I have started my 2nd pair, I started the toe-up socks with the instructions from my class at Stitches with Merike Saarniit, but after ripping them out 4 times, I decided to use a different toe up start (a short row toe that I found at knitty). I am not sure if the problem with my first tries came from me casting on improperly or what, but the toe never looked smooth and it was a PITA to knit. The short-row toe was very easy to do and appears correct, I suppose I won’t know for sure until I get the rest of the sock behind it. I am sort of doing combo-directions, a bit from Sensational Socks, and a bit from Merike’s handout.

Anyway here are some pictures of the socks behind the cut:

here they are on my chubby feets: (ya know horizontal stripes just don’t flatter my duck paddle feet)

and close up