Yarn Meter

Nancy's Knit Knacks is pleased to announce the introduction of one of the industry's most affordable and functional Yarn Meters.

We have developed an affordable and highly functional meter assembly for measuring yarn for any number of applications.

• Spinning wheel to Niddy Noddy
• Swift to Ball Winder
• Yarn ball to knitter
• Weavers

See New Yarn Tensioner add-on companion product.

Here are some system highlights:

• An affordable price of $49.99
• Yarn weights - the system will handle most yarn weights. It will even work with certain ribbon yarns.
• The clamping system allows the unit to be attached to a table, spinning wheel, loom, or other surface. The Clamp mounting hole is off-center which allows you to reverse the meter position if there is interference on your table surface. The clamp can be removed and inserted into the other side to rotate the yarn guide slot to the opposite side. The system is completely flexible. It will fit table thicknesses from 1/2" to 1-3/4" (it will even fit 2" thick tables if you remove the vinyl feet from the bottom of the meter). 
• It utilizes a cost efficient meter that measures lengths in feet as opposed to yards. The meter can be removed for storage during transit and can be easily and inexpensively replaced if necessary. Meter measures to 999 and then continues from 000 again. The meter has a handy reset button.
• An innovative wooden guide system for guiding the yarn through the assembly. This design replaces the traditional "curly Q" metal parts typically used on yarn equipment. You simply slide the yarn down through the slot into the main hole. If the yarn happens to "find" the slot while operating and starts to pull out, simply remove the yarn and rotate the assembly 180° and the problem disappears. We have carefully designed the posts to provide the optimal number of directions that the yarn can enter and exit without any interference. You can pull the yarn down, up, or sideways as it exits the meter without any problems. All holes are chamfered to prevent damage to your yarn.
• An optional denim carry case is available for users who want to travel with their meter. Because many users will maintain their meter in a permanent location, we have decided to reduce the cost of the meter by not making the case standard.  
• Ribbon Yarn Handling - the system significantly eliminates the ribbon yarn twisting problem provided that the meter is used while knitting (please note that we do not recommend that you rely on the yardage measurement that is created when using the meter in this manner). It does this be "capturing" the vast majority of yarn twist on the "yarn supply" side of the meter assembly which results in a significant reduction in the amount of yarn twist that occurs on the "knitter" side of the meter assembly.
• When packing up, both the clamp and the meter are attached to the mounting dowel and tightened and all of the parts are then secure and tight.
• Measures 6" long by 2" wide and 3-1/4" high. Clamp block is made of a non-marring plastic. Vinyl mounting pads are mounted on the underside of the wooden base.

 

Tips on Using the Meter

and knowledgebase - click here

Tensioning - Ordinarily, if you mount the meter above the yarn source, and if the yarn source has some tension built in (such as a spinning wheel bobbin or a ball of yarn sitting on the floor), then the yarn supply will create the necessary tension to maintain a taut feed of yarn going into the meter which is necessary to ensure that the drive wheel is engaged. On some lighter weight yarns or where there is an inadequate amount of tension being created at the yarn source, then the user can simply add tension by taking the yarn feed in their hand prior to entering the meter assembly. Pulling the yarn to the side of the yarn guide tower usually provides adequate tension.  The picture along the right side of this page shows how the yarn is held in place inside the meter by a bar which is raised and lowered by the lever on the right side of the meter. (see our Yarn Tensioner if you want more information on how we have solved any and all tensioning problems)

Meter Location - The meter can be located anywhere (higher, lower or even with the yarn source). The same is true for the yarn destination (i.e. ball winder, niddy noddy, etc.).

The unit is made from American Birch and/or Maple hardwoods.

Optional denim case is made from 12-14 ounce denim.

Purchase Here

 

Meter Assy with Wooden Base complete, oil finish

$49.99 Retail

Order a Meter (and optional case) here:

Spare Parts

Table Clamp Assembly

"L" Bolt, Clamp Block, wing nut (limit of 1)

Note: this is already included with the meter assy. This unit is for anyone who needs to replace a lost clamp assy. $5.50

Replacement Meter (plastic meter only, not wooden base or clamp)  $19.00

Note: this meter is used in the fishing industry to measure fishing line. It has been produced in high volume for years. Because it is used by fishermen, it can be lightly rinsed out to remove yarn fuzz with no damage to the meter. We modify the meter slightly to better accommodate yarn. Do not use meters available in sporting goods stores since they will not have been modified for yarn use.

Availability

Available through shops and catalogs  nationwide plus online at Nancy's Knit Knacks.

Questions? Send us an email

The secret to using the yarn meter is TENSION. You need to add the right amount of continuous tension on both sides of the meter in order to ensure an accurate measurement.

We have diagnosed most all of the possible glitches that can occur when using the yarn meter and offer the following Do's and DON'T to our users.

Ideal setup

• Yarn meter attached to table.
• Ball winder positioned about 10-16" from the meter.
• The yarn guide on the ball winder turned sideways toward the meter.
• The swift should be inline with meter as much as possible*.
• The yarn ball on floor slightly to the left of the meter yarn guide tower*.
• This setup can be reversed if desired.

* - please note that the swift and ball winder can be positioned out of alignment with the meter since the meter can accommodate various angles of incoming and outgoing yarn from its yarn guide towers. HOWEVER, each time you change the direction of yarn, you apply tension to it and this will cause the ball to wind tighter and will produce more drag on the yarn making it more difficult to wind. THEREFORE, try to keep these devices in approximate alignment with the meter.

This section assumes that you have properly positioned the yarn in the meter and that yarn placement IS NOT the cause of the problem. Be sure that the yarn is turning the number wheels when it is pulled through. If it isn't, then the yarn is either not inserted properly OR the meter is defective**

Don'ts

Do not pull the yarn through by hand. Use a ball winder. The ball winder provides a more continuous and steady tension on the yarn and most importantly, eliminates the stop and go of manually pulling the yarn through.

• At one time in the past, we indicated to users that they could measure their yarn while sitting and knitting. We have since retracted that recommendation because of the inaccurate readings that manually pulling the yarn through the meter can cause.

Do not position the ball winder too close to the meter. Give the yarn a reasonable distance to exit the meter and enter the ball winder, otherwise there may be too much tension on the ball.

If the yarn ball is too tight after winding it, that could mean that one  of the following problems exist:

1. Something is obstructing the yarn from flying freely through the meter to the ball winder.
2. Make sure the source of the yarn is not wound too tightly or has snagging problems.
3. Make sure you are not holding the yarn too tightly prior to going into the meter.
4. Make sure you are not changing the direction of the yarn too many times between the yarn source and ball winder.
5. If using our Yarn Tensioner, make sure you do not have the yarn wrapping around too many of the dowels.

Yarn Measurements are inconsistent and short

Tension, Tension, Tension - you do not have enough tension on the yarn on either the yarn source end or the pulling end (or worse, on both).

Most users who report this as a problem are typically making one or more of the following mistakes:

• Pulling yarn through by hand.
• Not holding (and applying back tension to) the yarn prior to it entering the meter (not necessary if using our optional Yarn Tensioner).
• Using really lightweight yarns (lace or lighter ) or threads. we recommend that you use our Tensioner if you are primarily using lightweight threads or yarns with our meter.
• You may have accumulated too much fiber from the yarn around the drive wheel axle. Remove the front screw and inspect the axle. It should turn freely. If not, carefully remove any fiber residue in that area.

Remember, if you were simply ball winding your yarn, you would normally hold it and apply tension prior to the yarn being wrapped by the ball winder. Well, guess what? The same dynamics that affect the ball winder and the yarn come into play with our meter. You need to apply tension to the yarn or something will not work properly. In our case, inadequate tension will cause the meter to MEASURE SHORT because the yarn is literally flying over the drive wheel inside the meter and not making proper contact.

This drive wheel problem is made worse by thin or lightweight yarns. Fortunately, tension solves all of these problems.

You can apply tension by hand or with our Yarn Tensioner. Either way, the meter will record a very accurate measurement if the proper tension is applied to the yarn prior to going through the meter and by the ball winder pulling it through. So, if your meter is measuring short, you need to apply more tension.

Still having problems? Please call us!

** Defective Meter - if the number wheels do not turn at all and you are sure the yarn is engaging the drive wheel properly, your meter may be defective. We will replace meters during the first 90 days of use if they have not been abused by the user. Thereafter, we can sell you a replacement meter (the clamp and wood base do not need to be replaced). Please note that we modify each meter specifically for improved yarn usage and meters bought at your local fishing store will not have this important modification.