Hi Jenifer, it is incredible how many people are turning to sourdough during the pandemic! It does my sourdough-loving-heart good, although I have to admit the amount of questions we're getting is hard to keep up with! I appreciate your patience, and hope that your starter has continued to rise in the way you describe, which sounds like just what you want it to do! The stinky cheese odor you noted early in the process is a type of bacteria, and not something you want to continue cultivating in this type of starter, so you're actually doing fine. However, you may need to find a larger container for your starter and cover it with something more secure than a towel so it doesn't dry out on top. The reason we say to "cover loosely" isn't because the starter needs airflow in order to ferment properly (it doesn't), but because fermentation gases can build up in a tightly lidded container and cause the lid to pop off. Plastic wrap will flex, and a lid should work as well, as long as you have adequate headroom above the starter for fermentation gases to collect, and you open the lid now and then to vent the gases. There's definitely no need to start over, but I would recommend feeding with something other than bleached flour, and switching to equal parts by weight of starter, flour and water, and twice a day feedings. The buckwheat flour could supplement the bleached flour if you have nothing else available to feed your starter (maybe half and half), but I would try to start feeding with unbleached all-purpose flour when you can find it. What you're aiming for is a starter that rises predictably and has a pleasant aroma. It's not necessary for it to smell particularly sour, but it shouldn't smell yucky either. I hope this helps! Let us know how it goes. 

Barb

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