A yarn package halter comprises a frame for supporting a series of contact members that are used to maintain slight contact with the base or back portion of a yarn package during an unwinding operation as part of a textile manufacturing process. In a preferred embodiment, the contact members are elastic cords, which serve to hold the yarn package together in order to prevent the yarn package from unraveling, which can lead to entanglements and other processing problems. The frame member is structured so that the contact members form a cone shape or a partial cone shape, and this arrangement allows the contact members to maintain slight contact throughout the manufacturing process, even as the size of the yarn package is reduced during the unwinding operation.