I'll consider myself part of the community and toss out an thought or two

1. If the knot "balled up" it means one of two two things (or both): a) You didn't heat seal it and flatten it well in advance, and; b) You were "scraping" your foot
2. To have less tension on the 2nd toe, tighten the "inside ankle strap" so that the lace comes straight back toward the shin, rather than directly over to the outside ankle hole (this will require loosening the toe strap)
3. To have less "pressure" on the heel, you'll want to use a lacing style that has 2 heel straps rather than one (see the one that's at the top of http://www.invisibleshoe.com/tying, for example)
4. Kicking up a lot of dirt is usually a form issue (scraping and/or pushing your feet, rather than lifting/placing)
5. Getting something caught in your shoe… ideally, if that happens, you would kick it out or flick it out with your finger within a step or two, before it could cause a problem
6. If your feet are slipping, sweaty or not, then it's probably a combination of tying and form… but given what you've said, above, I'm guessing form is the bigger issue. 
7. Calves being sore can be either a form issue or a "getting used to barefoot" issue… depending on your form. That is, if your form is off… if you're, for example, trying to stay on your toes without letting your heel touch the ground… then it's a form issue. If your form is good, then it could be a "getting used to it" issue. Hard to say from the limited info you gave me.
8. Running slower isn't normal or not normal, it's what you're currently doing… clearly your running form is different in sandals or barefoot than it is in shoes, and as clearly, you're learning something new here… so you don't have enough experience under your belt to really compare shod to unshod. Wait until you feel like you know what you're doing barefoot -- when it doesn't hurt, when you're not worried about slipping or getting a blister, etc. -- and THEN take a look at time.
9. Running at night in shoes is no different than running in huaraches. Do what you need to do to be seen and to see! Trust me, the little reflective strips on a pair of running shoes are no guarantee of safety!

a) OUCH!

b) Read http://www.invisibleshoe.com/blister immediately

c) No, you don't need to build callouses (if you look at the feet of experienced barefoot runners, none of us have callouses).

d) Read How NOT to get started with barefoot running

e) Read How to run bare foot

Here's the big picture on blisters: Blisters come from friction. Friction comes from incorrect form.

Let's start with the blister on your big toe… the only way you can get that is by either "scraping" your foot as you push off, or placing your foot way out in front of you when you land (overstriding).

My hunch is that you're overstriding, which means you're putting on the brakes every time you land… and that jams your foot into the lace, which could cause blister #1

The blood blister in the middle could be caused by overstriding as well, and landing too hard (not being flexible with your ankles, knees, and hips).

I'm also willing to bet that your cadence is too low. And you're definitely doing too much, too soon, before you've experimented with adjustments to your form. You don't want to do more than about 200 yards until you can do that COMFORTABLY… then build up distance SLOWLY.

If you can't experiment with your gait (trying to place your feet closer to your body, placing/lifting your feet instead of pushing/pulling, etc.), then try to get someone to video tape you as you run. Watching what you're doing may be helpful.

Hi Hopesmom…

So… where to begin:

a) You can't compare VFFs to IS unless you have a video to see whether you're using the same running form in both. For example, I know many people who heel strike in VFFs and don't even know it. So if you heel-strike (again, this is just an example) in VFFs but forefoot strike in IS, then you're comparing apples to orangutans.

b) Blisters are a form problem 99% of the time. It's POSSIBLE, for that 1%, that having sandals tied too loosely could contribute to the problem, but even with extremely loosely tied sandals, if you have good form you won't get blisters.

c) The form problem in question is almost always either overstriding (reaching out too far with your foot when you land on it), or pulling/pushing with your foot rather than placing/lifting it

d) If Injinji didn't help, then it's definitely pointing to a form problem, since the added layer of fabric would eliminate friction between your foot and the sole itself.

e) FWIW, the toga tying style is always looser than the slip-on styles. If you haven't tried the tying style at the top of the Tying page, I'd give that one a whirl.