RE: tail design for pattern
A lot of planes have the opposite problem, i.e. they pitch "down" or to the belly.
One (amongst others) "fixes" for this is to lower the tailplane.
So in your case, you would actually want to RISE the tailplane, not lower it.
However, location of the CG is probably the most significant factor affecting knife edge pitching. Do you have a very forward CG?
Magne