Abstract: A method is provided for unwinding a cake of wound elastomeric yarn from a creel, passing the elastomeric yarn over a bend in a thread guide and beaming the elastomeric yarn onto a bobbin in a warper head. The method includes the step of positioning the bend in the thread guide so as to contact the elastomeric yarn passing over the bend and change the direction of the elastomeric yarn passing through the thread guide just one time. The thread guide is attached to a base member such that a portion of the thread guide moves in response to changes in tension in the elastomeric yarn. The base member includes a mechanism for monitoring the position of the thread guide, which generates an electrical signal if the thread guide moves beyond a desired range in response to an increase in tension in the elastomeric yarn. The monitoring mechanism may also generate an electrical signal in response to the absence of tension in the elastomeric yarn passing through the thread guide.