Gauging progress

Just so that we're clear, I'm not that far along on my first "big" sock. My talk of starting another pair of socks was about my eagerness to have multiple projects on the needles, not an indication that I'm close to finishing what you see above. I couldn't start another pair if I wanted because apparently my Knit Picks order, placed Monday, is still "in process". One word: boo!

Call it buyer's/knitter's remorse, but I'm a little worried that I might not like how these socks look when they're finished. The variegated yarn is creating slanted circles that may look silly. They'll feel great, but if I'm too embarrassed to wear them...

I have encountered a question of gauge and knitting needles to which I have not found a satisfactory answer but which has not kept me from pushing forward. I'm using Takumi bamboo US 6 dpns; however, unlike all other US 6s I've come across, the gauge is given as 4.25 mm rather than 4 mm. I'm working from the assumption that this will not create a problem. I just find it curious that apparently there's no standardization from one manufacturer to another.

The screening schedule and energy-draining arctic conditions in my office have bitten into my knitting time, but I'm ready to make serious headway on these socks. In an IM chat with my mom, I told her that I'm knitting socks. Her response was, "Hmmm." She followed with "Hope they're soft." Like the rest of my family, I think she still has no idea what to make of this knitting hobby that's taken hold of me.