It's not a failure if I learn from my mistakes, right?
Third attempt at sourdough starter produced a happy camper that will bubble and double and so I thought it was all ready to go. I've been reading posts here and elsewhere and all my books (Reinhart, RLB) and a few from the library (Reinhart, Leader) the starter is fine. It's what to do with it afterwards - how much to feed it, when to put it in the fridge, how much to put in the fridge.
I settled on the 123 method, since that seems pretty straight forward. I wanted to stay with mostly whole wheat (white whole wheat ground in my Nutrimill) and I think that was my first problem.
Then it was far too chilly in my house to get the dough to rise. Hours later, after consulting this forum and finding a solution (my microwaveable neck warmer thingy, heated up a bit, left in the microwave, pop the loaf pan in there and it was a lovely 79F. The dough rose after that, but only a bit. It rose a bit above the lip and that's when I usually bake the bread, so I popped it in the oven. After it cooled a bit I just couldn't wait to try it, even though it felt really heavy. There was a blob of unbaked dough in the centre! So I turned the oven back on and baked it a bit more and bits of it are edible...
So, I shall try again, this time mixing up the dough tonight and letting the loaf rise overnight and use the King Arthur bread flour.
I'm not discouraged though!