How to Easily Knot a Tie

Hello Omoge! Fine lady, how are you? I want to share with you how to tie a tie for beginners. Before I proceed, I want to first answer the following questions;

1. What is a Necktie? Neckties or ties are pieces of clothing of different sizes worn around the neck. It rests under the neck collar and knotted at the throat. Men and boys put on ties for decorative purposes and to look smart. Women also put on ties as well but not as common as men. You can wear them as part of a uniform for military, school, and policing or as part of everyday attire.

2. Origin of Necktie? Necktie originated in France by Croatian mercenaries in the 17th century. It was during the 30 years of war that King Louis XIV hired Croatian mercenaries. They wore a piece of cloth around their neck as part of their uniform. King Louis XIV began wearing a lace cravat around 1646 when he was seven years old. He set the fashion for French nobility. This style of dressing started a fashion craze in Europe and the world.

3. Types of Necktie? There are different types of necktie like a cravat, four-in-hand, six and seven fold, and skinny ties. Each type has its own unique features. For instance, skinny ties are narrower than the standard tie and often black. There are also other types like   Apron, Ascot, Bolo, Sailor, String, Clip-on, Kipper, and Bow ties.

4. Types of Knot? As there are different types of ties, so also there are different types of knots. There are four major knots used to knot neckties, some are difficult while others are easy. They include; Windsor knot, half-Windsor knot, Pratt knot, and four-in-hand knot. There are also others like; Nicky knot, Atlantic knot, Ediety knot, and Prince Albert knot. The smallest knot to tie is the Simple or Oriental knot 

5. Parts of Necktie? There are different parts that make a great necktie. They include; envelope, fold, interlining, and loop. Wool is the major interlining material for many top quality neckties. Other parts include; bar tack, tail, and tipping. 

Parts of Necktie

The next step is to show how to knot a tie. To do this, I will show you how to do the simple knot first before the four major knots. I am also going to show you how to knot difficult and complex ones like the Trinity knot. So be sure to read this post till the ending so that you do not miss out. 

Simple Knot: 

This contains the fewest steps and very easy to learn. You can tie a simple or oriental knot using the following steps.

1. Iron the necktie to ensure that it is straight and neat.

2. With the back of the tie upwards, place it around the neck. The wide end should be on the right while the tail (small end) on the left. The tip of the small end should rest above the navel or belly button. This will depend on your height, length, and thickness of the necktie. The wide end will be moving while the tail will be still.

3. Place the wide end under the small end to the left.

4. Place the wide end across the small end to the right.

5. Pass the wide end up from underneath the neck loop.

6. Take it down through the front loop that you made.

7. Pull the wide end down to tighten and slide the knot up to adjust.

8. Pass the small end through the loop to hold firm with the tie.

9. Adjust one more time and you are set for the day. 

Simple Knot

Windsor Knot: 

Windsor Knot

This is a symmetrical and solid triangular knot. It works best with a spread collar. It got its name from the Duke of Windsor(King Edward VIII) who wore neckties of thicker cloth. The ties he wore produced a wider knot from the conventional four-in-hand. The public invented it as a way to imitate the Duke Windsor knot style. You can tie a Windsor knot with the following easy steps.

1. Iron the necktie to ensure it is neat, straight, and firm.

2. Start with the front side upward, place the tie around your neck. The wide end should be on the right while the small end should be on the left. The small end should be a little above the navel or belly button. This will vary depending on the length, thickness of the tie, and height of the individual. Only move the wide end while the small end remains static.

3. Place the wide end over the small end to the left and hold together.

4. Move it up into the neck loop from under.

5. Take it down to the left.

6. Move it around the back of the small end to the right.

7. Move it up towards the center of the neck loop.

8. Pass it down through the neck loop to the right.

9. Place it across the front to the left.

10. Take it up into the neck loop from underneath.

11. Pass it through the loop you created in the front.

12. Pull it down to tighten the knot and adjust it on your neck.

Half- Windsor Knot: 

Half-Windsor knot

This is medium size knot, closer to 75 percent the size of Windsor knot. It is bigger than the four-in-hand and pratt knot, produces a dimple when tied and it is quite symmetrical. The half-Windsor knot is also called the single Windsor knot and works well with light fabric. You can also use it for medium fabric. With the following steps, you can learn how to tie a half-Windsor knot.

1. Keep the necktie ironed for a sharp look.

2. Ensure you start with the front side upward and place the tie around your neck. The head(wide end) should be at the right while the tail(small end) should be at the left. Make sure that the tail is up above the belly button according to your height, length, and thickness of the tie. The head should be moving while the tail is static.

3. Place the head over the tail to the left.

4. Pass it under the tail to the right.

5. Move it up to the center of the neck loop.

6. Pass it through the neck loop down to the left.

7. Move it across the front, over to the right.

8. Take it up into the neck loop through the center from under.

9. Pass it through the loop you have created in the front. 

10. Pull the head down to tighten the knot.

11. Adjust the knot on the neck and look good.

Pratt Knot: 

Pratt Knot

This is also known as the Shelby knot. Invented by Jerry Pratt who worked for the United States Chamber of Commerce. It became known to the public by anchorman Don Shelby on local television in 1989. It is versatile, elegant, and medium-sized between the Windsor and Four-in-hand knots. The following steps will show you how to tie a pratt knot.

1. Iron the necktie to look good and sharp.

2. With the back side facing forward, place the tie around your neck. The head(wide end) of the tie should be on the right while the tail(small end) should be on the left. The tip of the tail should rest a bit above your belly button (based on several factors). Only move the head(wide end) while the tail(small end) remains static.

3. Place the head under the tail to the left.

4. Take up the head to the center towards the neck loop.

5. Pass it through the neck loop, down to the left.

6. Take it across the tail to the right.

7. Pass it up into the neck loop from under.

8. Throw it down through the loop you created in the front.

9. Tighten the knot by pulling the head down.

10. Slide the knot upwards, adjust, and insert tail in tie loop at the back.

Four-in-Hand Knot: 

Four-in-hand knot

This knot resembles the way the carriage driver would knot his reins. By knotting his reigns, he keeps four horses in hand, hence the name 'four-in-hand'. It became popular by the 'Four in Hand' driving club in London. It is slender, self-releasing, and easy to tie. The following steps show you how to tie a four-in-hand knot.

1. Iron the necktie for smart wear and look. 

2. As usual, you start with the head on the right and tail on the left while wearing the necktie around your neck. The tail(small end) should be above your belly button. This may vary due to the length, thickness of the necktie, and how tall is the individual. The head(wide end) moves while the tail(small end) remains constant.

3. Place the head over the tail to the left.

4. Pass the head under the tail to the right.

5. Pass the head across the front of the tail to the left.

6. Take the head up into the neck loop from under.

7. Throw the head down through the front loop you have made.

8. Tighten the knot by pulling the head down.

9. Slide the knot up, adjust, and insert tail in tie loop at the back of the tie.

Trinity Knot: 

Trinity Knot

Does the name trinity sound familiar to you? The trinity knot is one of the difficult and complex knots to tie. It is difficult because there is a different approach to tieing it, unlike other knots. The trinity knot is a recent innovation resembling the iconic Celtic Triquetra knot. The small end(tail) acts as the active end while tieing it and produces a rounded shape that is a bit asymmetrical. The following steps guide you on how to tie a trinity knot.

1. Iron necktie very well but be careful not to burn it. Ties look sharp, neat, and presentable when ironed with care.

2. This time around, the head(wide end) should be on the left side while the tail(small end) should be on the left side. Place the tie around the neck with the tip of the head resting at the top of your belt buckle. The tail moves while the head is still.

3. Place the tail over the head to the left.

4. Pass the tail up into the neck loop from under.

5. Bring it down to the left.

6. Take it around the back of the head to the right.

7. Take it up to the center of the neck loop.

8. Pass it through the neck loop down to the left.

9. Take it across the head to the right, and up into the neck loop from under.

10. Throw it down through the loop you created in the front, and keep it loose.

11. Bring the tail around the back of the head to the right.

12. Take it across the front to the center, and pass through the initial loop created.

13. Tighten the knot and tuck in the rest of the tail behind the neck loop.

Eldredge Knot: 

Eldredge Knot

Jeffery Eldredge invented this necktie knot in the year 2007. It became famous on the internet in the year 2008. Like the trinity knot, the tail of the tie is moveable while the head is static when tieing this knot. According to experts, the Eldredge knot is for gentlemen that are not shy to turn their head. You can learn how to tie an Eldredge knot in less than 5 minutes with the following steps.  

1. The first thing to do is to iron the necktie so that it looks smart and sharp.

2. Place the tie around the neck with the head on the left and the tail on the right. The tip of the head should rest at the top of your belt buckle. The tail will be moving while the head remains still during the tieing process.

3. Place the tail over the head to the left.

4. Pass it under the head to the right.

5. Take it up to the center of the neck loop.

6. Pass it through the neck loop to the left.

7. Take it across the front to the right.

8. Pass it up into the neck loop from under.

9. Take it down to the left and around the back of the head to the right. Remember to keep this part loose.

10. Bring it across the front to the left by passing it through the initial loop.

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11. Pull the tail towards the left to tighten.

12. Take it up to the center of the neck loop and down through the neck loop to the left.

13. Take it up again to the center of the neck loop and down through the neck loop to the right. Remember to keep this part loose.

14. Take it across the front to the left, through the initial loop.

15. Pull the tail towards the left to tighten.

16. Tuck the rest of the tail at the back of the neck loop to the left. 

17. Look good for the rest of the day.

Van Wijk Knot: 

Van Wijk Knot

Lisa Van Wijk, who was an artist had a fantasy of creating the tallest wearable knot. This prompted her to create the Van Wijk knot. These few steps will show you how to tie a Van Wijk knot.

1. Iron the necktie to look good and \attractive.

2. Start with the head(wide end) on the right while the tail(small end) on the left. The tail should rest above the navel. Only move the head while the tail remains still.

3. Cross the head over the tail to the left.

4. Pass the head under the tail to the right.

5. Bring it to the left across the front.

6. Wrap it around the tail to the right.

7. Take it to the left across the front and keep it under the initial wrap made.

8. Move it around the tail to the right.

9. Move it across the front to the left and keep it under the initial wraps made.

10. Take the head up into the neck loop from under.

11. Pass it down through each of the three loops created in the front.

12. Pull the head down to tighten, slight the knot up and adjust to look good.

Grantchester Knot: 

Grantchester Knot

This type of knot works best for business and social settings. It has the look of the four-in-hand knot and makes use of a lot of fabric. It is best to use a longer than average length of the tie when tieing this knot. Below is a step by step instructions for tying a Grantchester knot.

1. Start by ironing the tie to look sharp and smart.

2. Place the tie around your neck with the backside facing upward. The head(wide end) should be on your left-hand side while the tail(small end) should be on your right-hand side. The head should be about 5 inches lower than the desired finishing position.

3. Cross the head under the tail forming an X shape.

4. Take the head across the front of the tail from right to left.

5. Pass the head under the tail from left to right.

6. Take the head across the front from right to left using a finger to hold the band you created.

7. Flip the head under the neck loop.

8. Take the head down so that it hangs in front of the knot while holding the band in place with your finger.

9. Wrap the head around the knot from right to left.

10. Wrap the head around the front of the knot from left to right, while inserting a finger under the band created.

11. Pass the head through the neck loop from under.

12. Throw it down through the horizontal band, drag it down to tighten. Arrange the corner of the knot to form an even shape.

These are some of the neckties you can tie as a beginner. There are other sophisticated styles that I will be sharing in other of my blog posts. Subscribe to this blog so that you do not miss out on fantastic Omoge tips.

My final question is; which of the necktie knots resonate best with you? Which would you like for me to see you wear on your next business or social meeting? 

Leave your comments down below.