Tail Veins

I decided not to follow the instructions to leave the gold veins for last. I want to make sure it works; also if I don't put the veins on, I'll have to do temporary holding to hold the satin stitches in place. After some trial - and using just a needle to stitch the #1 gold per the instructions does not work for me - the beading koma technique from Mary Alice is the way to go. However I have to hold the gold thread in place with my fingers - to make sure all 4 strands line up. I am washing my hands every 20 minutes to make sure my hands stay clean.