Because of recent changes in my life, I may be in the position of attempting to explain to some new knitters how DBJ “works”, and to offer them some suggestions on managing the making of it. Since the machine I will be using is a Brother electronic specifically, I am gathering notes that are pertinent to that brand. I thought I would share some of my working notes here. The set below was gathered more than 2 decades ago, so I cannot add a specific bibliography, and information that may be gleaned from manuals is not included. This is the start of an ongoing series, including some DBJ rules for 2 color work, Brother machines, some adjustments need be made for more colors or for use on other KM brands
knit slowly, watching edge stitches to ensure that they are knitting off properly. If they are not, hang the side weights on the work, and move them up every 20-30 rows
clear the end stitches on every row, be especially watchful in wide pieces, failure to do so may cause mis-patterning or dropped stitches at edges
listen for the click when changing colors. On brother machines the carriage must be taken far enough to the left for the click to occur, lining up the connecting plate for the yarn change. If the color is changed without going far enough, you may either knit with the same yarn or no yarn
thread all four yarn holders, then if the wrong button is pressed you will only knit a row in the wrong color instead of dropping your work to the floor
check your yarn change before you knit each row for the correct color or the possibility of 2 yarns traveling together
weigh the work evenly
be certain selection row is in the correct direction (with pattern locked on punchcard), or you may end up with stripes rather than a pattern design
if you need to stop work, leave with carriage on right, it makes it easier to identify which color was last used in your sequence
do not use fully fashioned decreases as this affects the pattern near the edge stitches
reduce weights to correspond tho the number of needles in use when decreasing
work multiple decreases ie at underarms with carriage on the right, this way both sides may be shaped at once using the main yarn on right, the next color on left, thus avoiding long floats
if the design is not an all-over one, continue in Jacquard for the remainder of fabric, using a repeat that has 2 rows marked/punched, 2 rows un marked/punched throughout
ribs in single strands of garment yarn may be too soft or wide, for 1X1 ribs try adding an extra strand of yarn. When the rib is completed, pick up the heel of the adjacent stitches to fill in empty needles, and knit 2 circular rows before continuing in jacquard
2X2 ribs are better suited to single strands of yarn; at the top of the rib bring the empty needles into work, rack to the left and knit 2 circular rows, rack to the right and continue in jacquard
full needle ribs are usually wider than jacquard, as an alternative, the piece could be started on waste knitting, and rehung on fewer stitches, then, in turn, knitting the rib
the lili buttons represent every other needle set up, so an even number of needles is required; the needle position indicators on the ribber tape and the corresponding space between them help track pairs/ even numbers of needles in work
racking handle on P: the knit and purl needles are point to point, directly opposite each other, on H the purl needles are halfway between each pair of needles on the opposite bed, and the latter is most often the basic needle arrangement for double jacquard; check needle alignment before knitting planned fabric to avoid needle damage, etc
vertical striper backing on brother kms is possible but needs a bit of added manipulation and its own specific directions for needle set up
for thicker fabrics, the needle arrangement on ribber may be for 1X1 rib, 1X3, or other configuration, pitch on P. The larger the number of needles on either bed, the closer the tension on that bed to the tension suitable for that yarn in plain stocking stitch. In this instance, the ribber tension is tightened up by one or 2 numbers. If the ribber needles are in every group, ie. 2X2, 4X4, 4X2, etc, then the lili setting may be used. This sometimes helps if the effect on the knit side tends to show noticeable vertical lines along the sides/length of the stitches created on the ribber.
2 X 2 industrial rib
arrange needles to give a neat join at seams, plying yarns may again be required
racking cast on may be used, avoiding transfers between beds after every needle cast on
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u90_iobGu-0 shows one method of working and illustrates needle arrangement well and transitions to main bed knitting
I personally never do 3 circular rows after the first cast-on row: it will produce floats on one side of the rib, which may be noticeable in your final fabric on one of the 2 sides.
the alternative: with the same needle set up:
to close holes rack the beds one full turn, knit 2 rows, rack back again, and arrange for desired fabric