Fair isle success - finally!!!

I am trying to learn some of the more advanced techniques that are in the Toyota KS950 manual. The last two days I have been trying to get a nice fair isle swatch. FINALLY I figured it out!  At first I couldn't get the second color to knit, then it wouldn't consistently. The manual itself isn't all that clear of where to put the second yarn into the carriage. A vague description and a black and white photo that is from too far back wasn't much help. I kept trying different things but the swatch never came out right. I talked to a friend and she recalled being instructed and thinking "really, that is all you do?"  Meaning it wasn't much, simple and somewhat counter intuitive. I went back to my machine and looked closer at where the yarn positions in and finally noticed a little hook on the front side of the latch to close in yarn color 1. I placed yarn 2 behind this hook (latch remaining closed to lock in yarn 1). Voila!  A clean and perfect swatch without any dropped stitches! It really didn't require that much, was simple and very counter intuitive. 

Ugh oh! This isn't going to work

So I am now at the point of trying knit patterns that are for machine knitting. I am working on baby garments in order to save time and money while I learn valuable lessons. So glad it is a little baby jacket that I am learning lessons on. The pattern has you start at the back bottom hem and work up to the shoulders, adding stitches on each side to create sleeves. Then you place some center stitches on hold for the neck, work a few rows on one side before starting to add stitches for the front neckline. I managed to get through one side all fine and dandy, but I guess I learned my lesson of the importance of how you cast on for the other side.

I didn't realize that they were unraveling until I had about 30 additional rows done. I did briefly debate on whether to rip it back to where the sleeves start and try again, but decided I didn't like the dimensions of the pattern (too long and skinny) so I took it off the machine, took a picture of it, and tossed it to the side to not continue on it. Maybe one day I'll work on it and turn it into something else. Like a teddy bear sweater for the girls to use.  Either way, lesson learned.