toe-up, reverse st. stitch, and other problems

Problems with sock knitting are small compared to problems in general.  My knitting is meant to distract and comfort when I have larger problems; turns out my current sock project is not distracting or comforting. 

First, this is a problem with the knitter, not the pattern.  Fiona Alice's book Take Heart is lovely, and I'd love to have all of the projects in the book.  The photos are beautiful, the instructions are clear, and I'm using yarn that's similar in fibre content to the suggested yarn (alpaca).   The pattern has been incredibly easy for me to follow given the number of new-ish skills I'm using (turkish cast on, toe-up construction, after-thought heel, picot bind off). 

Photo:  Juju Vail (via Ravelry)

My problems are in my own knitting skills and lack of patience.  Purling in the round on 1.75mm (size 00) needles is not fun.  I'm slower at purling which is exacerbated by the small dpns and fine yarn.  I am dropping more stitches than I usually do, which are hard to see, pick up, and fix due to the fuzziness of the alpaca yarn.   Hence the stitch marker in the middle of the foot:

I also realize I don't like to finish one sock and then still have to add the heel.  When I knit top-down, I do a heel flap and gusset.  This means that when I graft the toe the sock is done.  Kind of like seamless garments when you bind off and still have a ton of finishing to do...  I also have a hard time gauging how long to knit the foot when I can't really try it on as I go.  I'm new to sock knitting and have guess-timated where the heel should go based on my foot and other socks.  Given that this is only my fifth pair of socks (and the previous four have fit issues), trying on as I do is important. 

I also have lots of 'ladders' which I don't have a problem with to this extent on other things.  I use dpsn a lot, but seem to have a lot of trouble with them on this particular project.  I'm pulling the yarn tight as I change needles, moving my starting spot to move the gap, and they're still there.  I am hoping they'll block out. 

Finally, I knit quite loosely.  I am not sure the picot edge will be tight enough to stay on my foot.  This again is not the problem of the pattern. 

These are a learning experience.  I may try toe-up again with a different yarn, and definitely not with reverse stocking stitch.  Or I may not!