Slightly Stuck

Hm, two "help me" posts in a row...yikes! Sorry 'bout that :)

So. I am a little stuck on another pattern!

I am working the "Rose and Thistle" mat from Lindsay Rogers' "Mastering Tatting," a book I really love and a pattern I have been wanting to work for quite a while...but especially since being very inspired over the summer in the UK:

One of many Tudor (English) Roses at Hampton Court Palace

and a Hampton Court Thistle

Here is a "thistle" I found in Scotland

After a recent thread infusion (because you know, I really needed more thread ;) I found I had all the right colors to make this mat using DMC size 80, and I made it through the first few rounds without incident:

Round 1: The yellow color is meant to represent the daffodil of Wales, a place we did not get to this summer but is on our short list to visit on our next trip.

Round 2: Seven Tudor (English) roses

Round 3: some greenery to tie them together

Round 4: Scottish Thistles and Irish Shamrocks, and a problem...

OK, here is where I need your help!

The thistles tat up just fine (eventually I'll snip the tips and fuzz the tops to make them appropriately thistle-y) but look what happens when you get to the shamrock:

Do you see the problem? Look at the way the green thread is pointed...

The shamrock is made with a ring surrounded by chains to make the shamrock. If I make the ring here, then RW to make the leaves of the shamrock, the green thread ends up pointing back to the previous thistle, not on to the next one...if that makes any sense. (?)

The first chain of the shamrock leaf is supposed to join the previous small purple ring, but to do that, the green thread needs to be pointing the other way...and if I just force the thread to go where it want it to go, the chain twists...gah.

Maybe the solution is simple...maybe as simple as executing the shoelace trick before I make the ring??

Any other ideas? The pattern doesn't specifically say how to deal with this, it just says to "Repeat around them mat, starting again at the shamrock". (Not helpful.)

So, as I'm stymied on the last round of that mat, I have been working on a couple other projects.

Thanks for everyone who weighed in on my Stawasz Conundrum a week or so ago, I did decide to continue on and finished it:

 I do like the finished project, even though it definitely won't fit inside my hot plate any more :)

I also worked up this White-Striped Golden Minor Flying Norwegian Dragon as a goodbye gift for a departing officer who loves fantasy stories:

Thread is Perle 8, purchased in Honduras. I have so much Perle 8 thread, I decided I'd better use it for something! If anyone wants/needs Perle 8, please let me know! I have plenty to share!!

 The original pattern by Anne Bruvold called for SSSRs up the tail, body and neck, but I honestly just couldn't be bothered to review the technique, so I decided to go with traditional split rings and it worked just fine. I actually think he's pretty cute in two colors.

He even got in some flying practice courtesy of Christopher :)

So anyway, that's it.

I just realized this is my 99th(!) blog post, I'll have to come up with something spectacular for the big 100 :)