Sock knitting and toe-up socks

Knitting toe-up

I knitted my first pair of socks attending a weaving education at Kvevlax Hemslöjdsskola 1991-1993, and thought it was quite easy. Those socks were knitted from the cuffs down. The biggest issue for me at the time were my dislike of knitting with dpn's. I knitted socks for all my family and then I stopped.
After discovering Magic-loop almost 10 years ago knitting socks were became an easy task and after learning how to knit 2 socks at the same time the second sock syndrome disappeared.
Now the last couple of years I have tried and tried to get the flow with knitting socks from the toe and up. I really, really would like to love this method but...
after knitting about 5 socks this way I still have problem getting the knitting to flow. I like socks with an instep and knitting from the toe up makes this a bit awkward for me. Knitting cuff down is easy, just knit the heel flap as long as I want it, make the heel shaping  pick up stitches along the sides of the heel flap, decrease until you have the right amount of stitches. Easy peasy!
On the other hand I love the cast on when knitting toe up, I use the Turkish cast on ad it is sooo smooth  Increasing at the toes are fun but then...
Knitting the socks from the toe up I have to "know" where to place the first increases for the instep, Then I need to "know" where to stop. This continues, I feel trapped, I need to measure and calculate far more than cuff down. I just can not get the flow with these socks.
These my latest toe-ups with an instep heel turned out quite well but there were no music when I knitted these.

So I decided to try a completely new heel for me. I knitted the complete sock straight up after the toe shaping with only one exception, I knitted the stitches at the back of my sock on a spare yarn piece the same way as when knitting a thumb on a pair of gloves, slipped the stitches back to my left needle and then continued to knit with the sock yarn over the spare yarn.

After the length of the sock were knitted and the socks were cast off, yes to at the same time with Magic-Loop. I picked up the stitches around the spare yarn, removed the spare yarn and decreased at the sides.

These socks were unbelievable easy to knit. I made a pair in two days! The foot became a bit to long hence the heel sits to far up my leg but they became quite good for a first try. I will try this way of knitting toe up socks again but I still prefer Knitting the cuff down way.

Taking those sock pictures reminds me that I really, Really should get a sock blocker!
Either buy or make some...