I have found an exception to my rule of always taking yarn from the center of the commercial skein. The “I love this yarn” in cotton produces repeated yarn barf if drawn out from the center: clumps of tangled yarn that pop out of the skein like an angry Obscurus.

For these skeins, I pull yarn from the outside. To keep the yarn from getting away as it flips around, I put it in a box.

I see why the free hanging yarn holders are popular, they are for the “take the yarn from the outside” crafters, which is a fine method for cotton yarn. There are many ways to do things, it is good to experiment to find what works for you or the particular material you are working with.