Contemplating socks

Having developed an addiction to www.ravelry.com I believe that I need to try knitting a pair of socks. My late mother in law used to knit socks and there is a pair of very sturdy knee length walking socks in the sock drawer. They are showing no signs of wear after a considerable number of years and are a testament to her considerable knitting skills. I remember some 30 years ago when I was knitting a Fair Isle jumper she showed me how to neatly weave in the different colours - a skill I had never been shown before and it made such a great difference. I have vague memories of her saying, when handing over the aforementioned socks, that she was never going to knit another pair and I don't think that she did. I do think that I should make an attempt at socks though - at least one. Consequently I have been investigating patterns and wools and have concluded that this is not going to be straightforward. I like the look of self-striping wools and I wonder if making baby or child size socks to begin with may be an idea. But - and there are a lot of buts. I made a trip to my, very local, craft shop and found some wool. I also found a pattern but there didn't seem to be any needles of the correct size for the wool and the pattern. I do have a large bag of needles inherited from my mother and my grandmother but nothing seems to be the correct size. Neither does there seem to be a pattern in my extensive collection of patterns from the 1950s and 1960s. How funny some of them seem now yet others are so stylish. Back to socks. The next issue is whether to use a circular needle or 2 circular needles or a set of 3 or a set of 4? Each pattern seems to suggest something different. Patterns called "easy" say things like "turn the heel in your usual way" !! I have not knitted a pair of socks before so I don't have a usual way. I want a pattern which will guide me through, row by row. I have invested in a pattern to go with the wool. I use the word " invested" as the cost of a pattern certainly seems to have increased disproprtionately since those of the 1950s and 60s that I have been looking at. Yet I am not sure that I actually understand this pattern. It all seems so vague but, as I don't seem to have the correct needles  there is little I can do about any of this. I still have the intention to knit a pair of socks and the willingness to have a go and for the moment that will have to be enough.