You’ll need:

* a measuring wheel– I used a Rolatape Measure Master MM-12 (Single Wheel) (4" Diameter) purchased from www.engineersupply.com for about $40, including shipping. I used the one that measures meters.
* 4 screw eyes that the yarn you use will fit through
* two thick rubber bracelets – I got mine from gumball machine. Mine say "Never Give Up" and Hope". It’s nice to have your counter cheer you on when you’re measuring tons and tons of yarn.
(The instructions for the yardage counter on twosheep.com call for using rubber O rings from a spa or pool supply house. You could use those if you can’t find bracelets.)
* a few wood screws for attaching pipe hanger to wood
* a chunk of 2x4 (or similar– just make sure the depth of the piece of wood allows the wheel to turn without rubbing on the surface you clamp the counter to.
* C-clamps to clamp the counter to your work surface
* a plumber’s pipe hanger (shown below because I didn’t know what it was called until I saw it at Home Depot)

Tools:

*screwdriver and pliers

Instructions:

1. Remove meter wheel from handle. It will pop off with some force.

2. With pliers, bend the pipe hanger so the strip of metal breaks away from the clamp bit. Toss the clamp bit and reserve the strip with holes. You might file down that rough edge, since it’s sharp. Bend the strip so that it fits snuggly around the counter, as shown above. Screw down tightly. If you do this correctly, the counter won’t wiggle at all.

3. Attach the 4 screw eyes to the side of the piece of wood, aligning them with the bottom of the wheel. The center two are 3.5" apart, and the outer two are near the ends of the wood piece. These screw eyes guide the yarn under your clamps and to the wheel, preventing it from rubbing on the wood or clamps.

4. Arrange the two rubber bracelets on the wheel, as guides for the yarn. (They are the pink and orange things in the photo above.)

5. The yarn is threaded through the counter from right to left, going under the wheel, up and over, down, and then off to the left, as shown in the first photo. You might like to draw an arrow on your counter so you don’t forget. You can clamp the counter to your work surface facing either way, depending on where your swift and ball winder or skein winder are located.

It might not be pretty, but I’ve found this counter to be very accurate in many tests with balls of known yardage.

Measure away!