Robot Rebellion

Yesterday I spent four hours or maybe more trying to get The Robot to behave. We were getting along fairly well...he's always tested me with the odd long, skipped stitch but I always managed to catch them and fix things up as I went along...til yesterday.

Frustration grew into practical rage when I ran out of bobbin thread in the middle of a row just before noon. I wound a new bobbin, popped it in and things went downhill right then...a hard and fast slide to a brick wall of stitching woes. It was like the bunny hop...I'd  put stitches in and then The Robot would hiccup so I'd  rip them back out. Over and over and over. Two steps forward,  three steps back.

Having made it thru all but the last 20 inches of the quilt with decent results you can imagine my frustration...I wanted to stomp, spit, swear, throw things and cry. In fact I did some of those things. I quilted only another 10 inches of the current row in 4 or 5 hours and picked out enough stitches to last a lifetime. It just won't sew without skipping long stitches when ever the carriage moves toward the back. A trip to the store gave me no answers and increased my frustration. The lady there just doesn't know much about troubleshooting a long arm. I tried the few things she suggested and a lot of things I read on line with no luck. I have cleaned everything, tweaked the tension, changed needles multiple times, tested the encoders and called technical support with no luck. The tech person said she'd call back and didn't. The lady at the shop will help me, eventually...I know she will, somehow...but that won't get this super-special quilt ready in time for my super-special someone's big birthday.

I don't know where to go from here, or what to do. These horses might end up late for the rodeo on Friday...or they just might sit on the frame forever now... can't exactly take the quilt off before it's done and can't  seem to convince The Robot to play nicely no matter what I try. He's content to chew up my backing fabric with hundreds of tiny holes from that fast-as-lightening needle of his. It's a mess.

I'm frigged.
Mired.
S. O. L.

Chiggered.

I'm going to chat with Jack and Ginger shortly, nibble some (more) chocolate, maybe fondle a little Kona...that might help ease the frustration. Or, maybe I'll stick one of the 3 new needles I threw in the garbage yesterday into my left eye. That might take my mind off this load of crap too.

...sigh...

Why?
Why do I complicate my life so?
Why don't I just buy blankets like a normal person?

**On a positive note: I sure am happy with my new magnifying glasses! Couldn't have made it thru the day without them...