Abstract: A yarn carrier for a circular knitting machine has a swing member swingably attached to a support member and a spring between the swing member and the support member so that if an accidentally closed latch of a latch needle accidentally hits the swing member, such as may occur during unintended stopping of the machine, the swing member is pushed rearward, away from the latch needles, to effectively cushion the contact pressure and protect the latch needle from suffering physical damage. The swing member may also have two depressions, one to provide clearance for the latch needles when moving relative the swing member in a generally vertical direction as the thread is engaged, and one to provide clearance for the latch needles when moving in a generally horizontal direction, after the thread has been engaged and the latch needle is moving away from the support member.