I started with a 1K King & 6K Ice Bear + .6 Flexcut honing compound. It was possible to get a good edge off the 6K - but very difficult for a beginner. Essentially, you just need to make lighter passes to get the 6K to act like an 8K. However, this means that instead of honing with "no pressure, just the weight of your finger holding the blade flat", you need to hone with "hold 1/3-1/2 of the weight of the razor up, so that it has less pressure on the stone". I'd mess up every 8-10 strokes, scrape my edge on the corner of the stone since I couldn't holding the razor flat consistantly while applying negative pressure, and have to start over with a reduced set of strokes on the 1K to take out the microscopic flat where I dinged it.

I'd recommend starting with a 8K and .5 CrOx (real stuff from SRD). You want good honing compound. Crummy stuff has bigger grit in it that leaves a ragged edge on the razor. Some block compounds have so much wax that the compoind starts making hills and valleys as you are stropping...

In terms of size: I've tried just going back and forth without an X-stroke, and have decided that X-strokes are pretty much mandatory if you want the WHOLE edge sharp. So 3" is not really needed. It does need to be wide enough to easily balance the blade on though. 2" is easy too. 1.5 is easy once you have 1/2 an hour of practice. This is a moot point for the Norton or Naniwa stones. They are 3". Since the 4/8 Norton or 3/8 combo stones are much more than an 8K - I'd definitely go that route.

For the .5 CroOx, I started with a 3x12" piece of leather from a craft store that is glued to a flat piece of hardwood. It's not as nice as a hanging strop, but it's a LOT cheaper.

I CroOx the edge weekly to refresh it, the 8K (+ CroOx) every 3rd or 4th time, and the 4K (+8K & CroOx) every 3rd or 4th time I do the 4K. I only go down to the coarse stone if the finer ones didn't make it shave perfectly (ie: the edge still has some roundness). You can use the 4K instead of a 1K to take out dings - it just takes a long time.

ps: I recommend the Naniwa hones. Not having to soak them first allows you to quickly touch up the edge in the morning if it needs it without being late for work