Stretchy Sock Yarn [ribbit]

I've discovered that stretchy sock yarn and me don't get along very well. Several weeks--okay, I'll be honest, it's been months--several months ago I ordered some really good sock yarn from a not-for-profit group I'm a member of, Socks For Soldiers, look it up on Yahoo Groups. Regia stretch, 10 balls, potentially enough to make two pair of size 12.5 work socks for my buddy Mike over in the big sand box. I decided that I was going to use the toe-up pattern instead of cuff down because I like it better but... This stretchy yarn is throwing me off.

I made the cast on at the toe very tight because it looked like it was too holey to be the toe of a sock when I did it looser. I did that cast on three times before I was happy with it. Keep in mind doing two socks at once that is actually six cast ons. Now, 2+ inches into it, I look at them, look at the cast on, look at the increases, and think, yuck! They're ugly, too tight compared to the stockinette of the rest of the toe. That can't be comfortable in a pair of boots.

Last night I ripped them out, frogged the whole thing. I'm calling the already used yarn a loss and am reknitting it into a gauge swatch on a smaller size needle, I'm dropping from size 1 to size 0 (American sizing, I forget the mm's). So far my swatch is looking good. Once I use up the little bit that is left from one of the frogged toes I'll bind off, measure a few times to be sure I've got it right, and then toss it in the wash with the towels to be abused by a hot agitated wash cycle and hot dry, then I'll remeasure. I am determined that these socks will be great so the second pair, and all subsequent pair that I make for other soldiers, will be perfect.