Like Edison...................

"Ben Gates: [paraphrasing Thomas Edison, about invention of light bulb] I didn't fail, I found 2,000 ways how not to make a light bulb; I only need to find one way to make it work." -   --  National Treasure 

I feel the same way about some knitting directions.   Another pair of socks imagine that............. These have narrow rows of color changes so I thought I would try a wave pattern which is
Row 1: k1, p1, yo, k4, cdd, k4, yo, p1, k1 repeat. Row 2: k1, p1, ktbl, k9, ktbl,  p1, k1 repeat.
The cdd is a central double decrease which is also written either Sl 1- k2tog- psso or sk2p. What the knitter is doing is slipping one stitch-knitting the next 2 together-then passing the slipped stitch over the  knit together.  It can also be Sl2-k1-psso or s2kp.  The knitter is slipping 2 stitches-knitting the next one- then slipping the two stitches over the knit stitch. But no where in the directions does it say whether to slip the stitch purl wise, point to point as if to purl or knit wise as if knitting the stitch one at a time or two at a time. These little details make a difference in the way the finished stitch looks. The cdd can either lean left or right or have a nice knit stitch up the center. This stitch pattern said Sl2-k1-psso. My first row of the pattern I slipped the 2 stitches purl wise, it looks like there is a wrap around the center stitch. The next time I tried slipping the stitches as if to knit one at a time, that row looks like it has 2 wraps around the knit stitch. Then I referred to my knitting books. In the back of 400 knitting stitches Potter Craft it said to slip 2 together as if to knit. The third time that is what I did and yippee skippy that is what I needed to do to get the nice knit stitch in the center of the decrease.  And it didn't take 2000 tries to get it right. Happily knitting now--Ann--

By the way ktbl is knitting through the back loop of the yarn over. If you knit the yarn over with a regular knit stitch you get a hole, great for lacy patterns, knitting through the back loop twists the yarn over closing the hole.