Yarn feeder

The Yarn Feeder (also known as the yarn guide or feeder arm) is a carriage component on a knitting machine that feeds the yarn into the open hooks of the needles as the carriage travels across the bed. It is located inside the sinker plate assembly, which sits over the needle bed.

Function & Sinker Plate Integration

As the carriage moves:

1. The carriage cams raise the needles so their latches open.
2. The yarn feeder guides the yarn at a precise angle directly into the needle hooks before they retreat.
3. The sinker plate wheels and brushes hold the fabric down flat against the bed, preventing the fabric from riding up with the needles.

Plating Yarn Feeders

Plating is a technique where two yarns are fed into the needles simultaneously but in a fixed physical order, so that one yarn appears on the knit (front) side of the fabric and the other appears on the purl (back) side.

• Threading: A specialized plating yarn feeder replaces the standard guide. It features two separate slots (front and back). The main yarn is threaded in one slot, and the plating yarn (often a thinner decorative or elastic thread) is threaded in the other.
• Applications: Plating is used to knit soft yarns against the skin while using metallic/rough yarns on the outside, or to add stretch (Lycra plating) to cuffs and socks.

Troubleshooting

• Friction and Jams: If the yarn guide has rough spots or lint build-up, the yarn will catch, causing carriage jams or yarn breakage.
• Edge Stitch Drops: If the yarn feeder is misaligned or too far from the needles, it will fail to drop yarn into the end needles when the carriage reverses direction, resulting in dropped selvage stitches.