Bond Sweater Machine HELP

I just thought of another thing too, try running the carriage over the
needle bed with needles back out of working position...if that is ok, try
pulling them into working position, if thats ok fine, if not, look along
each needle..has it bent? If it has, it'll need changing, your books will
explain how to do this, I put the ones from the end of my machines into the
bent needles slot, and the new ones in the ends, it's just my way. if the
carriage moves freely along with no mishaps, push the needles completely
forward into the holding position and see if they are ok then if not check
the needles for bent butts, and change them. if all works smoothly then you
have found out that all your needles are indeed fine. Then do all the other
checks, weights have you enough, have you got the machine clamped down
properly, or is it vibrating the needles into all sorts of weird and
wonderful positions..

I think we must all of us have gone through this at one stage or another,
usually at the learning stage, so you aren't alone. Once you know your
machine you'll be going fine. Just a little patience to learn it all and
you'll be back on here one day with helpful advice for others .....believe
me...

Hugz cher
"spinninglilac" wrote in message
o.uk...
sounds to me, like the ''butts'' of the needles aren't right back, and
therefore the needles which are meant to be out of use, are being vibrated
forward...check this by pushing them right back before putting the
carriage across this could be caused by the mach bed not sitting square
and straight on a flat surface...

cheers......Cher
"Carey N." wrote in message
news:EPnHf.1860$lG.543@trndny01...
Julie,
It sounds like your machine is tilting forward in the front, allowing the
out-of-work needles to slide forward from the vibration of the knitting
carriage. You might want to check the level of the table, and either put
something under the table legs, or put something under the front edge of
the
Bond itself to make sure it isn't tilting forward.
Just a thought.
--
Carey in MA


"JulieInTexas" wrote in message
oups.com...
Thanks so much for all the suggestions. I am going to try waxing the
machine really well first. I think that may be part of the problem and
then watch the video again. I do allow the thread to flow through
easily and always pull enough out, and I have been making sure the
thread is snug.

Another problem I am having is that the yarn is getting caught and
attempts to knit on needles outside of the ones I need.

Oh well. I will conquer this thing. I figure I can do bead weaving --
I should be able to do this.

Hey, it was early! I wasn't properly awake yet. g

Higs,
Katherine

spinninglilac wrote:
OMG giggle, trust you Katherine, rofl...omg that is so funny..

thnx for the giggle...

cheers...cher

"Katherine" wrote in message
...
Leah wrote:
On 10 Feb 2006 17:42:15 -0800, "JulieInTexas"
wrote:

Hi Julie,

I went through all these problems myself while learning how to use
my beast, so please bear with it, once you know it's quirks, you
should get many years of enjoyable knitting out of it!


LOL I read Leah's post as "learning to use my BREAST"!!!!!

Higs,
Katherine

On Sun, 12 Feb 2006 09:24:58 -0400, "Katherine"
wrote:

I went through all these problems myself while learning how to use my
beast, so please bear with it, once you know it's quirks, you should
get many years of enjoyable knitting out of it!

LOL I read Leah's post as "learning to use my BREAST"!!!!!

Katherine

That must have conjured up a very strange visual. Thanks for sharing
so I could chuckle!

Leah

Leah wrote:
On 10 Feb 2006 17:42:15 -0800, "JulieInTexas"
wrote:

Hi Julie,

I went through all these problems myself while learning how to use my
beast, so please bear with it, once you know it's quirks, you should
get many years of enjoyable knitting out of it!


a) either
jams,


Beginners with the ISM/USM often make the mistake of trying to knit
across the row too fast. This causes your pressure on the carriage to
vary, which can cause it to lift up from the speed, and then the
needles or KP get out of alignment and the whole thing can jam up.

Your machine will be stiff the first couple of times you use it. Bond
says it doesn't need wax, but I disagree. Others have suggested an
old candle, a couple of things about that. Make sure it's 100%
paraffin (wax), and use a white one that's unscented. A scented
candle has oils that can stain your yarn. Same with the colored
candles, they can stain your yarn. Where to wax: The bottom of the
keyplate where it runs across the needles. On top of the retainer
bars on the front of the machine, especially the joints where they fit
together. On the back of the bed where the joints are. On the bottom
edge of the back of the bed where the carriage runs across the same
joints can also jam your carriage. You can also at first run the wax
a couple of times across the carriage body where it meets the bed if
you can't get to all the areas on the bed itself. A light coat is all
that's needed. While knitting, if you do a lot of smaller projects
(socks, scarves) you notice things are starting to feel stiff again,
repeat the waxing. I will wax where I said at the beginning of any
big project; do a sweater, and the next time I do a sweater, I'll wax
it again. If you don't use it that often and store it for a while
between projects, wax it before using it again.

If you didn't pull the yarn up at the beginning of the row, it can
cause your carriage to jam. If you pull it too tight, the carriage
can jam.

After knitting the first row, trying pulling down gently on the
weighted hem to make sure it's knitted off and hanging freely and not
pushing your needles up, which can cause it to jam up if it's not
hanging down properly.

If it jams on the first row, you could be catching on the hem itself.
I usually do a closed edge cast on and then when knitting the first
row will hold back the hem with one hand while running the carriage
slowly across to make sure it doesn't jam up.

You should also check your yarn and make sure it's running freely.
Some people either don't pull enough yarn out of the skein or pull too
much, piling it on top of the free end, which can weigh the free end
down so it makes tight rows, and then you start getting jams.

If you're using a novelty yarn, i.e. eyelash, metallic wrapped, or
something lumpy like Lionbrand Homespun, that can cause your carriage
to jam.

If you have a row counter, check to see that the yarn isn't getting
stuck in it. I make sure the yarn runs behind the row counter at all
times.


b) completely skips stitches,


If you are skipping stitches, it's more than likely because you are
trying to run the carriage across the bed too fast. The machines used
in the video are well lubricated and broken in, so go a little slower
at first. If you're done with the first row, and it's skipping
stitches on the next few, the hem could have not knitted completely
off, causing stitches to stick up and therefore not get knitted
properly on following rows. Also, check your hem to see that the rods
are evenly distributed, as they can slide while putting the hem on the
bed, putting uneven weight on the bed, which can cause skips or jams.

On the first row, it's important to make sure after pushing the
needles back with the yellow card to double check that all latches are
open for that first row. I found that doing a closed edge cast on
that some of them will close when the needles get pushed back, not
every time, just occasionally, so I run my fingers lightly across the
tips of the needles to make sure all are open before doing that first
row.


c) drops stitches at the end
of the row. I have been fighting this flipping thing for probably six
hours total now. I should have been able to do something. I have
restarted my project probably 40 times already.


Claw weights will help with those edge stitches. When starting a new
piece, I will check the sides after the first and then every 3-4 rows
to make sure they are knitting properly. When I have enough room
(about 10 rows), I add claw weights to the sides. I move my claw
weights up every 6-8 rows.

If you aren't pulling your yarn up enough at the beginning of the row,
these stitches will drop. HOWEVER, if you are pulling it up too
tight, it will also drop the side stitches.

Also, if you are already trying to change colors, you'll have trouble
with the 2nd or 3rd rows after changing, because the loose ends will
create loose stitches and then the stitches can start dropping. Put a
clip on the yarn ends to help with that and then check edge stitches
the 2nd and 3rd rows after a color change anyway, and when there's
enough room, move claw weights up onto the new color.

If none of that works, check for an old ISM carriage (sometimes found
on Ebay for $15-20), and if you find it, I'd recommend you buy it. I
have 2 ISM carriages (for doing quick stripes and fair isle), and
tried the new USM carriage and didn't like it as much as the ISM. I
do like the new KP with the in between sizes. The USM KP will fit the
ISM carriage, but the ISM KP will NOT fit the USM, so if you find an
ISM carriage and the old style KP, those won't fit in your USM and
will also give you a slightly different gauge than the USM KP, so if
you have one of each and want to do quick stripes and fair isle, I
recommend getting a second set of USM KP for your ISM carriage to
match gauge. I've found the fabric retainer bar is the major diff
between these carriages, and I prefer the ISM's fabric retainer bar,
because it makes sure the fabric is back against the bed, which means
the needles are properly aligned to knit the next row.


d) needles out of work catch yarn and try to knit.


You could be moving the carriage too fast, causing those out of work
needles to jump forward from the pressure on the bed. They could also
be jumping forward because the machine is still new and stiff
vibrating them forward.

OR your table is uneven, causing those needles to slide forward enough
after a couple rows with proper motion on the carriage. Put something
under the front legs to raise it up if needed.

OR check your clamps. Make sure your machine doesn't move around
which could vibrate those needles into working position, but also make
sure it isn't clamped too tight so that it bends down on the ends,
which can cause jams.

If you are trying a really big project, try doing the smaller swatch
first. My video is an ISM video, and it recommends doing a 50 stitch
by I forget how many rows swatch with the included yarn. I learned a
lot while doing that swatch, and it loosened up the machine for me.

Oh, one last tip, I put the latchet tool back into the box, as it's
awkward to hold and catches on and splits the yarn. It won't open
when I want it, or close when I need it to. I found it took as long
to do up ribbing with that than it did to knit an entire sweater front
with shaping. Someone suggested using a crochet hook to do up the
ribbing, a stroke of genius that's cut my ribbing time on a sweater to
way down. For worsted weight, I use a size G (4 mm) hook. For
DK/sport, I use an E (3.5 mm). I have yet to do ribbing in chunky,
but I'd probably use an I or J (5.5 or 6 mm). The ribbing looks
uneven at first using those size hooks, but the work goes fast, and
after washing, the ribbing evens out. If you don't crochet, watch the
video and use the hook like the latchet, putting the hook through the
loop, then catching the yarn in the hook and twisting the hook
slightly to pull the strand through the loop on the hook. It's called
chain stitch and once you get the hang of it, I found it goes pretty
fast.

HTH

Leah
Thank you Leah!

My wife purchased the same machine for me just a while back. I printed
out your GREAT instructioins for future reference and put it with my
machine.

Hugs & God bless,
Dennis & Gail

Leah wrote:
On Sun, 12 Feb 2006 09:24:58 -0400, "Katherine"
wrote:

I went through all these problems myself while learning how to use
my beast, so please bear with it, once you know it's quirks, you
should get many years of enjoyable knitting out of it!

LOL I read Leah's post as "learning to use my BREAST"!!!!!

Katherine

That must have conjured up a very strange visual. Thanks for sharing
so I could chuckle!

It did, indeed!

Higs,
Katherine

On Mon, 13 Feb 2006 14:57:09 -0600, Spike Driver
wrote:

My wife purchased the same machine for me just a while back. I printed
out your GREAT instructioins for future reference and put it with my
machine.

Dennis & Gail

I'm glad to be of help. It took some learning of quirks before I got
really comfortable, but now for really quick uncomplicated knitting
with worsted yarn, I think it's a great tool. You can combine hand
and machine work, especially if there are large sections of boring
stocking stitch to get through, just make sure the gauge matches
relatively closely, and I let blocking do the rest.

Leah