I'm a novice wheel builder who has made maybe 3 sets at this point, all x3. I wanted to try my hand at something new. Last night I rebuilt an old front wheel that wasn't in use (and horribly out of true) as a three-leading three-trailing, and want to check to make sure I didn't do anything stupid. The wheel was stock off a Trek 520 with a Deore LX hub, Bontraiger Fairlane rim, and straight-gauge 2.0mm spokes (couldn't identify the brand). I repacked the hubs and, with the exception of some rust on the locknuts that didn't seem to extend any further inside, the hub, rim, and spokes all seemed to be in fine condition, so I just got some new nipples and re-used everything else.

Interlacing the 3-leading 3-trailing pattern was definitely more tricky than I had anticipated (and I had to do it twice since I got valve hole in the wrong place the first time ). In the end, I think the wheel looks really nice, but the spokes have some serious bends where they're interlaced. Also, I think I threaded the spokes into the incorrect rim holes (i.e., the spokes from the left flange go into holes on the rim that are offset slightly to the right). This was necessary in order to align the valve hole, but seems to cause an extra bend where the spoke comes out of the nipple (see the third picture). Is this normal/safe for this patter? Or did I do something stupid/wrong? Hopefully it's not crazy to use 2.0mm spokes for this pattern.

Finally, I realized after building the wheel, that the spoke-holes in the hub are the wider 2.6mm size. I know that some people (i.e., Schraner) recommend using spoke washers in this situation, although the original wheel didn't have any. Am I asking for trouble by not using any? FWIW, the original wheel never had any broken spokes after a few thousand miles. Thanks for any advice.