Troubleshooting: Needles aren't engaging when doing short rows.

Kathy posted a question to the sockknittingmachines group and I thought it'd be easier to show her here what she's doing wrong.

She's having difficulty doing the heels/toes as her needles won't engage after she's pulled the needles out of work and changes direction to do short rows.

She thoughtfully provided photos.

First photo shows where she stops and changes direction.
First of all, Kathy needed to keep cranking until all her needles that are in work are all level. What she's doing here is not allowing the second cam to drop down.

Remember, this is the path the needle takes while making a loop:

What's happening is Kathy isn't cranking far enough for the needles to clear cam D6 where it's passing under it. Her first couple of needles are still in the V cam. In the next photo, she's changed direction and the needles aren't being lifted. The cam is floating along the tops of the needles.

If you look at the inside of her machine, you can even see where the needles travel. Look at the clean marks.

Hope that clears it up, Kathy.