I have an HQ 16. When I first got it, it skipped stitches. It was so frustrating. I finally figured it out. I wasn't pulling the thread back and forth in the tension disks to get the thread to settle all the way into the disks. Can't say that is or was your problem, but you may want to try that. Also lint and dull needles can cause a tension problem as well as incorrectly inserting the needle. Good luck (that old needle will not work forever, so I hope your problem can be solved).