I should have read the manual all the way

So I read the manual and followed the directions as best I could on inserting the roll of film. I got the film in, yeah. I made a plan to shoot on a theme - 'the toys in my yard'.

I wanted to shoot the kid's playhouse, strollers, a truck etc with the Holga and also my Canon Digital Rebel.

Mistake #1
I read that I should wind on until I see the numbers. I rolled and rolled but no numbers appeared. I was afraid that I would run out of roll so I started shooting. I wrote down what I was shooting on a piece of paper. I shot and then wound on about 5-6 winds. When I got to my 10th shot I started seeing numbers in the little window! I realized that everything I have just taken was on the wrong part of the film :)

So I went back and did it all again, this time rolling on until the next number appeared.

Mistake #2
When I was done I read the rest of the manual to see what I was to do with the spent roll. I came to the 'tips' part at the last page and it says "Always load or remove the films in a dark place".... OK, why was that not in the 'Film Loading' section???? I loaded my film in the kitchen, albeit a dark kitchen, but not dark dark.... So I have no clue if my photos will come out at all!

This is really a trial and error venture. Stay tuned!

Note: Just to be clear - these photos are from my Canon :)