Oh dear... I've become an enabler!

Yes, I must own up to it. I'm a pusher. A corrupter of innocents... I have dedicated my life to the cause of corrupting as many innocent people as possible into the devilish..... delights..... of............ sock knitting!!

Why, what did you think I was talking about?

This xmas I gave 3 people sock knitting kits - some gorgeous yarn, a set of beautiful knitpicks multicoloured wooden DPNs, and my basic sock knitting instructions. I thought three people was probably enough to infect with this mania at one time, and they seemed really pleased (well, two of them... one hasn't had her present yet as I haven't seen her). Then, yesterday, we went all couple-y and grown-up (yeah, right) and had a dinner party (soooooo not posh. Is it posh to make your guests cook their own food? No!) and, at about midnight, one friend got her sock kit out of her handbag and starting asking questions.... (she's a new knitter and has just done her first two scarves, so she's being very brave) Why should she knit two rows of rib before joining in the round? Won't there be a slit at the top of the sock? Why should she slip the first stitch of each row on the heel flap? How does one 'pick up' the gusset stitches? *
...And in answering these and the other thirty-three questions (trying to think straight in my wine-soaked state and having picked up hubby's latest stripy sock to demonstrate) I realised two things. One: my other friend (who has always professed to be more interested in cross-stitch) was looking at us with a wistful sock-knitting kind of gleam in her eye, and Two: I need to write a photo-heavy tutorial for very basic sock-knitting to help me corrupt people. (Yes, I know there are probably millions out there already, but I have my own quirky style - I want to write my own!)
Oh, and friend #2 went home with some funky sock wool, some DPNs and some sock-knitting instructions. And a big smile on her face. I've corrupted another one!! Yay!!

*Answers, in order: 1. Because then it's almost impossible to accidentally twist when you join in the round (good thing, especially for beginners). 2. Yes, but it'll be tiny and you just sew it up when you're weaving in the end - you have to weave it in anyway! 3. To make larger loops down the side of the heel flap, making it much easier to pick up the gusset stitches. 4. Put the needle through these larger loops one at a time, collecting them all, then knit them as stitches on the next row.