This could be work or recreational related. Anything you’ve done that you sit back and go “hell yeah I did that”. I’m typically wary of working on cars because I have big hands and no auto specialty tools. But, I was able to make a pretty involved (for me) repair last week and I’ve felt really great about it since. What about you?
Opposite directions? That explains why mine never worked!
It helps to wind in opposite directions since the opposing flow of common mode current is a big part of what helps it cancel out