White Rabbit Socks - Take 2

So, yesterday afternoon after finishing the leg of the left sock I happily knit the heel flap, turned the heel and knit the gusset and started on the foot.  A few rows into the foot I tried the sock on and realized that if I continued the foot with my current stitch count it would be too loose.  As I was pondering how much to rip back so I could shape the foot I also decided that I really didn't like the fit of the leg.  It was just too tight.  I have very muscular calves (comes from exercising on a Nordic Track for a all of my adult life).  So I ripped the whole thing back (after taking a few measurements and checking the gauge) and decided to start over.

The first thing that I did was increase the initial stitch count from 68 stitches to 84 stitches.  This takes the circumference measurement from 8.5 inches to 10.5 inches (my calf is 11.5 inches around).  I proceeded to knit the requisite amount of k2, p2 ribbing.  After the ribbing, the pattern calls for switching to the set-up pattern.  It was at this point that I encountered my first challenge.

You see, I had decided to knit the cable motif on both sides of the leg, rather than just on the outside (as the pattern calls for).  The pattern is over 26 stitches.  I was working on two needles, with 42 stitches on each needle.  On needle 1, the stitches start with a knit stitch and end with a purl stitch, on needle 2, they start with a purl stitch and end with a knit stitch.  In the center of those 42 stitches I needed a run of 26 ribs that started and ended with 2 knit stitches.  There is no way to center those 26 stitches.  So I offset them towards the front of the leg, figuring that if you look at the symmetry of the leg the back tapers more than the front as you move down the leg towards the ankle.  So I set up my stitches as follows:  Needle 1 - 7 sts, pm, 26 sts, pm, 9 sts, Needle 2 - 9 sts, pm, 26 sts, pm, 7 sts.  I put split ring markers on before I did my next row, on which I would also have the first of my decreases.  Then I knit the row, keeping the rib pattern between the stitch markers and knitting the other stitches, and also knitting together the 2 purl stitches on the outsides of the markers.  The plan is to continue the decreases as I knit the leg in order to reduce the total stitch count to 68 stitches by the time I reach the ankle.  Obviously I will do more decreases across the front of the leg (5 total, for ten stitches) than on the back of the leg (3 total, for 6 stitches).

The picture shows the markers.  After establishing the pattern I removed the markers as they just get in my way.