Needing some assurance and morale boosting please??

I know I was new to this model and make of machine and it was 20+ years since I used a knitting machine but I don't think it can be all user error I am experiencing.

Today I was positive and eager to knit and get this jacket underway. I had done the new swatches, picked a pattern and new colours.

I casted on and did the ribbing.  That went great.  Even the casting on was perfect.  Usually I have to use the hook tool to put a few stitches on the needles when it doesn't do a perfect ziz zag but today, I think, for the first time ever, it was perfect. I was glowing.  I transferred the needles onto the main bed and set it all up for the tuck stitch.  I got all the right settings, did my remembering row and set the carriage to tuck, remembered to change the punchcard to move.  I had the side levers back.  I was ready!

This time it started a few rows in to gather too many stitches on a couple of needles.  But not the same needles as it had done it before.  I knew this because I had made a note of the needles where it happened before.  The only saving grace, I guess, was that I didn't get all the way up to the shaping before it went awry.

So I took it all off and pondered on what the problem could be.

When I bought it in June the lady told me it had just been fitted with a new sponge bar and I had no reason to disbelieve her but in desperation to find an answer I decided to check it out.

That meant dismantling the ribber which was a shame as it was working great, but I did it and took out the sponge bar.  It was, as she had told me, like brand new.  So that wasn't the problem.

I looked at all my needles closely.  I can't see ant bent ones. So, I put back the sponge bar.  I decided to do a swatch in the tuck stitch before I put the ribber back on.

It did great, no dropped stitches or broken yarn which is what happens after too many stitches gather on the needle.

So, I started thinking that maybe, somehow, having the ribber attached caused a problem.  Couldn't for the life of me see why, but hey I am getting desperate for answers now!

Then I thought about my swatches.  Every time I have done a swatch it has been perfect.

What was the difference? The swatch didn't have any ribbing.

Maybe I am leaving on too many weights as I have been leaving on the big ribber weights.

So, I put the ribber back on.  It didn't line up right so the ribbing was dropping stitches.  I followed the instruction from the manual to the letter too.

I re-sited the ribber and tried again and this time the ribbing was good. I did 24 rows of rib then transferred the stitches onto the main bed.  I took the weights off of the cast on comb and just hung claw weights at the sides of the knitting.  I then proceeded to do some tuck stitch which worked perfectly.

Have I hit on the solution or will I go back to it next time will it do it's silliness again?????

I ran out of time today and tomorrow we have to go to Columbia for a hospital appointment for my husband so it will be Thursday before I get back to it.

I can't remember my machines of the past ever being this temperamental.  I only ever remember fitting my ribber on the machine once and it worked perfectly from the get go.

I made sweaters on my last machine using tuck stitch and big sizes too not just small sizes like I am making now.  I am wary of starting anything big on this machine.

So to summarize, to date I have had problems from the get go.  Some were definitely user error, like the casting on problems, but Phil put me right on that and it works like a charm now.

The ribbing problems are a case of getting sited perfectly and I am getting better at doing that now.

The fair-isle problems I had on my last sweater were due to the different punch card I was using which was shorter and stiffer than the usual ones and once I re-punched a card with the same pattern it worked perfectly.

So I have been able to come up with solutions so far but this one has me beat and totally disheartened.

I don't want to give up.  I am not a welcher.  I am a great perseverer but I am out of ideas on how to make it work. I don't want to just knit plain knitting and fair-isle garments.

My knitter blogging friends make tuck stitch garments so I know I should be able to do it. They don't seem to have the problems I do.. I am sure my knitting carriage is functioning properly and I put all new brushes and wheels on it when I got it.

Help, suggestions, ideas and moral support needed.....please.

I am off to rewind all the bits and pieces I did today, at least that gives me enjoyment lol.