I read through the forums here and need clear cut advise before I put steel to stone.

I've found some tidbits of advise about honing my slowly dulling Dovo. I understand to tape the spine of the blade with black electrical tape so as not to ruin the intricate detail. This would lead me to believe I should hone in the direction of spine to blade, letting the spine lead and have the blade follow. Yet, I've seen videos online that show honing from blade to spine. So which direction is proper?

Also, I've read about the "X" pattern, but cannot find any description of it in this forum. Any help would be greatly appreciated.