How to Tie an Eldredge Knot

    

An Eldredge Knot is a newer knot invented by Jeffery Eldredge in 2007 that has been gaining popularity among tie wearers. It is a big knot that gains a lot of attention for the unusual end result, and can start conversations with just about anyone. It is a difficult knot to tie so don't worry if you don't get it the first time. The result is worth it as it helps people remember you compared to others wearing more casual knots and looks awesome. 

The knot has a lot of steps and loops to go through and will eventually pass through previous steps.
 

Step 1: The Length

For Clarity we have given the name "Thinner end" to the side of the tie which is on the left in the picture (and on my right shoulder) and we gave the other end of the tie the name of "Thicker end" which is on the right side of the picture (and on my left shoulder). We have also given the name "Neckloop" for the part of the tie that will be closest to the neck. We will be wrapping around it a few times today.

The Eldredge necktie uses only the Thinner end of the tie, and it uses a LOT of it. Therefore, it is important that we start with as much of the Thinner end as possible. The Thicker end will not be moving at all, and will stay the same length as when you start the process. It doesn't matter which side the thinner or thicker end is on, but for these instructions, we are assuming that the thinner end is on your right shoulder and the thicker end on the left shoulder.

Start with the thicker edge either at the middle of the belt buckle, or a few inches above, about 3 or 4 inches max. Going above that will show off the bottom buttons.

Step 2: Looping the Tie

Cross the thinner end over the thicker end near the neck. Keep the knot close to the neck, as we won't be able to move it much when we are done.

Step 3: Loop Behind

Next, we loop the thinner end behind the thicker end.

Step 4: Up We Go

We now will take the thinner edge and lift it up towards our faces.

Step 5: Around the Neckloop

Take the thinner end and pass it over the top of the knot and behind the neck loop, the part of the tie that makes a rough circle around the neck. We then will need to pull the thinner end out to the left side of the body for the next loop.

Step 6: The Second Overpass

Take the thinner end and pass it over the bulk of the knot to the right side of the body.

Step 7: Behind and Up Around the Neckloop

It gets a bit tricky here, as we need to go behind the knot and out the top of the neckloop. What this entails is we will take the thinner edge and bring it up like we did in step 4, but we will pull the thinner edge from behind the knot instead of in front of it. 

Step 8: Flop It Over

Take the thinner end and pull it over the top of the neckloop and over to the left of the body.

Step 9: Around the Back

Take the thinner end and wrap it behind the thicker end of the tie and pull to the left. IMPORTANT! We will be passing underneath the part of the knot from step 7 so remember not to have it too tight. 

Step 10: The First Underpass

An underpass is the term I use for when we loop the thinner end underneath a part of the knot we have already tied. Hopefully the picture makes this clearer. This step and a step near the end require an underpass.

To try and explain in words, we will take the thinner end of the tie and pass it over the front of the knot from the bottom right to the top left; lift up the most recent addition to the knot (the part from step 7) and pass the tie underneath it, and then continue to pull through.

Step 11: Tighten and Readjust

Now we can take the knot, move it around a little, and tighten everything down or readjust as needed. we still have quite a few steps left to go, but this is a good point to make sure things are working right. 

Step 12: The Hard Part

After all the readjusting, we now have the most complicated part. Take the thinner end and pull it up close to the left cheek. Next we will bring it straight down as close as we can to the neck. Following this route down, we will pass behind the neck loop as shown in the first picture. Then tighten down the thin end and get ready for the next step. 

Step 13: Across to the Other Side

Similar to step 12, Take the thinner end and bring it up as close as you can to your Right cheek instead of the left cheek. Again push the thinner end as close to the neck as possible and bring it down, behind the Neckloop just as in step 12. Tighten as we are about done. 

IMPORTANT! We are going to do another underpass under this loop in the next step so don't pull it too tight.

Step 14: The Second Underpass

Take the thinner end and pass it under the newest loop created by step 13 and pull the thinner end up to the left side. Here we will make the last of the passes and almost finish the knot. This is also the last part of the knot that will be seen. 

Side note: If the thinner end runs out about here, we can leave the tail end of the thinner end under this underpass and move straight on to step 16. If you do end here, be aware that the thinner end can fall out and cause a bit of slack in the knot. 

Step 15: Hiding the Tail

With the knot completed, try to hide what is left of the thinner end of the tie. The easiest way to do this is to hide the tail end of the thinner end behind the neckloop under the collar. This prevents the thinner end from popping out later in the day

Step 16: Show Off and Enjoy Your Snazzy Looking Tie!

Look at that tie you just created! Isn't it amazing! Go show it off someplace!

Troubleshooting:

The tie knot doesn't turn out correctly: Don’t be afraid to try again. Getting it right can take several tries. Be sure to follow all steps or watch the video of how to do it.

The thinner end doesn't quite make it to the end of the steps: Try again by making the thinner end down further than before or try to make the knot closer to the throat.