Said Dumbledore. Wise wizard.
Equally wise, Mrs. Knitty Gritty Homestead worked her magic on me and I NOW KNIT SOCKS! I had resisted sock knitting due to fear of knitting on dpns with itty bitty skinny slippery instigating half-evil sock yarn. I'm a loose knitter. A size down in both pattern and needles to get the right gauge knitter. A stitches forever falling off my dpns knitter. So with a wave of her magic-loop knitting needles, Mrs. Knitty Gritty Homestead sent me on my sunshiny sock-knitting path.
The magic loop method was definitely the way to go.
The first pair was intended for Littlest, as little seemed the least intimidating option; they ended up fitting Middling.
Did I mention that I'm a loose knitter?
They actually fit me as well. After modeling the socks for the photos, I was reluctant to take them off. 
So I figured I had best knit myself a pair.
A happy pair.
A cuff up or down pair.
And now I'm back to knitting a pair intended for Littlest.
And I'm Yarning Along.
Pattern: Critter Socks from the book Toe-Up Socks for Every Body by Wendy Johnson.
Yarn in order of appearance: Patons Kroy Socks in Turquoise Jacquard, Rainbow Stripes, and Mexicala Stripes.
(I don't recommend the Rainbow Stripes colourway. I had to pull out a lot of yarn to avoid long stretches of indistinct dark-coloured stripes.)
Book: More Straw Bale Building by Chris Magwood, Peter Mack, and Tina Therrien.
(Just dreaming on my part. I picked the book up for half a dollar at a yard sale this past weekend. Woohoo! Now my imagination is running amok with thoughts of straw bale animal housing.)