How To Tie a Four in Hand Knot

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The Four-in-Hand Knot is one of the most popular tie knots around, yet sometimes it looks very sloppy if it is tied the wrong way. In today’s video, I show you How To Tie a Four In Hand Tie Knot The Easy Way with step-by-step instructions so your tie knot looks great and not sloppy.
It is the favored tie knot of many elegant gentlemen across the glove because it is slightly asymmetrical and not too big, thus working nicely with all ties including knit ties. If you are interested in quality ties, take a look here.

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If you are interested in a similar, more symmetrical knot, check out our video on the Oriental Knot.

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Transcript:

Welcome to the Gentleman’s Gazette. In this video, I’m going to show you how to tie a four in hand knot.

The Four in hand knot today is probably the most popular knot in the western world. It’s the first knot most boys learn from their fathers when they first learn how to tie a tie and at the same time, a popular knot with elegant men because it is slightly asymmetrical and it’s hence appreciated. It’s not clear where exactly the name four in hand knot came from. Some claim that it comes from the four in hand club in London. Another theory is that it comes from the coach when coach would hold four in one hand. other people claim that, the coach would tie their scarves in that way, it’s ultimately not clear where it originates from however it does not matter because it’s a great knot. Just like with the oriental knot, the four in hand knot is perfect for wear with collar pins, collar bars or collar clips simply because you can put them underneath here and the knot is not too big so you can actually connect the two parts of your collar. If you don’t know what a collar pin is, check out my video. If you like to find high quality collar pins and clips that really work, click here.

The four in hand knot is very popular and I think it looks best with a classic collar that is closer together or like a medium spread collar that i’m wearing right here. once you get to more spread collars you have to be careful because the knot is not too large and so you will see the tie on the sides which I don’t think looks great. Some people don’t care so I leave it up to you but I think it’s best to wear it with a classic collar and medium spread collar. Once you tie the tie knot, you ideally want both ends of the tie to be the same length. In order to get that, you’ll have to have the slim end about a hand width above your waistband but it always varies. depends on your pants or ties so you have to play it with it a little bit until you figure it out.

Here is how you tie it: You take the wider end over the slimmer end, you go once around in the back and once around the front. basically,360. Now, you bring the wide end through the little hole you created on your neck, you pull it through and here you have o make sure you don’t get any creases in this part. So you pull it through so it’s slightly tight. Now it should hang like this. You go to the bottom and pull it through here like so. Now you hold this part and then you gently pull like so. So it comes all the way through. Now, this is going to be loose. if you want a dimple in your tie you can pinch it up here so you make, sure and then pull gently so you get a dimple right here. Then you hold the knot, pinch it slightly and pull gently so the knot, pulls together more tightly. Once you’re happy with the knot, pull on the slim end and bring your knot up by slightly wiggling it up. Now you make sure everything is good, no wrinkles, the dimple is in, everything fits tightly and you have the nice four in hand knot.

Compared to other knots, the four in hand knot is a very small knot, it’s just slightly larger than the oriental knot but considerably smaller than let’s say half Windsor or a Windsor knot. The four in hand knot works for any kind of tie. It’s great if you have a very thick tie but you don’t want a super thick knot. If you have a very thin tie and you want a bigger knot, the four in hand will not do it because it’s a relatively small knot. Other than that, it works with everything and it’s an extremely versatile knot that will look slightly different but always asymmetrical. If you like our videos and if you want to see more videos, such as other knots or how to tie a bow tie, please sign up. Thank you.

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Reader Comments

  1. Great video of my favourite knot. I have to admit, that even though I know most of the things you show in your videos I always highly enjoy watching them! Nice work, Sven Raphael.
    Is the tie that you wear in that video available in your shop?

    Best regards

    Jens C.

    1. Yes, it is: You can find the tie here.
      I always want to add some information that was not known before… Glad you enjoy the video. Please subscribe on youtube, thanks.

      1. Thanks a lot. I appreciate it. I will suscribe immediately ;-)

        All the best from good old Germany, mein Freund.

  2. Useful as always, Raphael. Thanks for continuing to educate me!
    With ties, whatever knot I use, I always wonder what is the right thing to do with the narrow end once the tie is tied: should one just leave it, tuck it into the shirt out of the way (a lot of men here in England seem to take that approach), or tuck it through the label or loop (if there is one) on the back of the wide end? Of course, if you are wearing a tie clip, this isn’t an issue. Regards, Allen

    1. Hi Allen,

      Iยดm not Raphael, but hopefully I can help you as well. I was asking myself the same question and after some online research and after reading the book “The Suit” I came to the conclusion that I just let the narrow end hang without using the keeper; it gives your outfit a nonchalance (“sprezzatura” as the Italians call it.

      Best regards

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