Tabi No Monogatari Part 6

After painfully and slowing starting again on my hubby's right sock, I'm finally really getting started (again - for real this time).  My sock goddess, Ariana had gone on a yarn run during a recent business trip and gifted me Lion Brand's Sock-Ease in Rock Candy.  So, hubby's really going to get a pair of socks that he can really wear while I can practice on real sock yarn! :)

Here's how the Lion Brand Sock-Ease looks like:

I re-measured Hubby's foot twice(!) and it was still 9" wide and I still had a gauge of 9 stitches per inch so ... I first casted on 81 stitches (9" * 9 stitches per inch) and measured it against his foot.  I thought it was too short at first so, I decided to cast on 96 stitches so that it at least would go on his foot and over his heel.  But, then it looked  too loose at the cuff by his ankle.  So, I ripped out the 10 rows I did and re-casted 81 stitches.  It's still kind of loose but it looks like it fits better now. :)  I wonder if I should put in negative ease ...

To cast on, I found a great knit and purl long tail cast on tutorial video by Nancy Wynn via Sweet Georgia's sock blog and it seems to be working well.  I was initially having problems getting off the cast off row and again, thanks to Ariana, she untwisted me and got me going. :)

I'm actually done with the cuff and getting ready to start on the leg section. Thank goodness hubby just wants a sport sock! ;)

Here's my results (so far):

I want to do a top-down sock with short rows so that it'll be similar to the sock that I did toe-up (although, I must say ... so far, toe-up seems like a better and easier way to make socks than top-down! :P  But, I'll hold off my biases - for now! :P). :)  So, I'm a bit stumped ... do I start on the leg part and do I do the same number of rows like I did with toe-up or, am I suppose to start the heel already?  Thank goodness I work tomorrow so, I can ask my sock goddess what she thinks I should do ... :P