A rotary vacuum wicketting arrangement has a rotary hub body positioned on a shaft or spindle and supporting a number of pickup arms, and a non-rotating vacuum spinning head that provides vacuum to the rotating hub body and pickup arms over a portion of their arcuate travel. In one example, torque errors are learned during an engine shut-down, after a disconnect clutch coupled between an engine and an electric machine has been released. It is found that this new invention exhibits good root anchorage as well as a significantly reduced tendency to form unwanted suckers.