"Stroke into the knife edge or away from the edge.? I am a dull fellow." Stone into the edge; strop away from the edge. Attempt to make the finest slice possible into the stone, when finishing uses a very light pressure.
Your "$5 knife" sound to be worth a whole lot more than 5 bucks. It has very good steel and sharpening very good steel is difficult for the novice. Start with a heavier grit, 120-ish, until you feather the edge which is easy to snag with a finger nail. Generate a feather along the entire edge with the heavy grit before moving onto 240-ish. My working knives never see anything finer than 240 grit.
Your Work Sharp should work. Reduce the cutting pressure and give it more time. Again, generate a feather/burr along the entire edge before going to a lighter grit.
