Rooting in a Swirl Pattern This tutorial is designed for those who have mastered the basic rooting technique outlined in "Reborning Your First Doll." Materials: * Rooting needles, 42 gauge or smaller * Pin vise (recommended) * Premium Mohair * Colored pencil in a shade close to mohair color * Leave-in conditioner spray * Comb or baby brush * Pair of Sharp Scissors * Sharp Tweezers Start by marking a basic hairline lightly with colored pencil. I usually mark the side hairline further back than my finished rooting will extend, since the area above the ears will be rooted in a different direction. I'll go back and fill in the temple area when I've finished rooting the crown. Place a dot to locate the center of the swirl, and then make a ring of dots around the center dot. I usually make a circle pattern roughly 1 1/2 inches in diameter slightly off-center on the crown of the head. Begin rooting around the edge of the hairline, leaving the center circle unrooted. During this stage, the direction of the rooting should move down and out. Keep filling until you've rooted all but the center circle on the back of the head. Now we'll begin creating the swirl at the crown. If you wish to part the hair on your left, you will need to root the swirl clockwise. For hair that falls to your right, you will need to root in a counter-clockwise direction. Imagine a line that extends from the center dot up to the edge of the rooted circle. Angle the needle to move in a circular pattern as illustrated by the arrows in the diagram. Begin rooting in pie shaped sections around the circle from the center dot out to the rim. The angle of the needle should follow the motion of the hand of a clock as it moves around the circle. I've found that turning the head as I go helps a lot! When you've rooted around the circle to the starting line, your swirl should be visible! After thinning and trimming, the hair at the crown will fall in an ultra-realistic circular pattern. Next, mark in the side hairlines with the colored pencil. On the temples, tilt the needle so that the hair lies at an angle down and back. I usually root the temples more sparsely than the rest of the head. I'll also pay special attention to this area when thinning. Thin any visible plugs with a sharp pair of tweezers, and then trim the hair into the desired style. (Find basic hair trimming instructions here.) Erase your pencil lines with a damp washcloth, style with leave-in conditioner, and you've created an ultra-realistic head of hair!