Keep going or start over
First time trying to make a starter from scratch. Used all King Arthurs Whole Wheat for the first 24 hours. Did a 1:1:1 refeed after 24 hours with a 50:50 mix of King Arthurs Whole Wheat and Gold Medal Bread Flour. For the first night, I left it in my kitchen which is on the cool side. So, I moved it into my home heating room for the second 24 hours, which is definitely on the warm side.
I came home from work after 12 hours and I could see where the starter had rose the full height of a quart mason jar and then dropped back to its original volume. Opened it up and it smelled on the septic side, but not terrible. Have refed it twice now with 1:1:1 and moved it to a cooler location. Getting some bubbling, but not much rising. Still has a "odd" smell, but not nearly as bad as the first go around.
Should I keep going and will it come around, or better to notch it up as a learning moment and start over?
Thanks for any insight!