As Chris Martin once saing "Everything's not lost"
Don't give yourself a hard time, we've all made mistakes, but for next time perhaps:
1) Make sure you've really understood the work before you start
2) If you've got a problem and you're not sure on the terminology, post a picture. This would have helped people get you the right advice off the bat, and stopped any fussing about the bottom yoke, which should be fine.
Priority 1: Get the bike working again. Here's what I'd do:
Get the front lifted up, and put the fork caps back on. There are plenty of options for this, ideally I'd use a headstock stand, NWS stand, Abba stand or something that takes the bike's weight on the frame. Failing this, use a jack at the front-right of the engine. Spread the load using a piece of wood / old piece of knee armour or similar so you don't damage the engine case. You should be able to lift the bike up to balance it so the weight is taken on the rear wheel, side-stand and jack. Some extra balast like a bag of compost on the rear seat can make this easier. A friend / family member to hold the bike steady is a very good idea.
As the front wheel comes up, the forks will extend. Once there's the tinest ammount of air under the front wheel, push down on the fork caps one at a time and do them back up. Be VERY careful not to cross thread thse bolts, there's a very fine thread and it's easy to cause damage if you're not careful.
Once the fork caps are back on, lower the front and the bottom yoke will hold the weight of the bike through the forks. You're now back to just fussing with the top yoke
Jambo