i am also new to fmq and this happens to me alot.. i found what i was doing was moving the fabric to fast and the needle doesn't seem to be able to keep up.. when i slow down it doesn't happen near as much. when i move the fabric too fast i bend the needle slightly and it can't seem to connect correctly.. or at least thats what i think.. Might be all wet but slowing down solved a lot of it for me.
judy