I think he was actually caught off guard by the Elves making the Three Rings. He had originally planned to subdue all the Free Peoples by giving their leaders Rings, that would eventually bring them under his power. He wanted to probably make the Elven Rings himself, or help Celebrimbor make them, since the Elves were his main enemies. He did the same thing for the Men and the Dwarves, I think. But since Celebrimbor made the Elven Rings on his own, Sauron didn't have any influence over them, or at least not as much as he would have liked.
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But Melkor also was there, and he came to the house of Fëanor, and there he slew Finwë King of the Noldor before his doors, and spilled the first blood in the Blessed Realm; for Finwë alone had not fled from the horror of the Dark.
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