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Knit ties are great gifts for men on their birthdays, anniversaries, Father’s Day, Christmas, and other holidays! You can knit a tie in any color of yarn and stitch type you want. Knitting a tie is quick and easy, so it’s a great project for knitters of all levels. Create a unique knit tie for the special guy in your life, or make one for yourself!

Part 1
Part 1 of 3:

Stitching the Main Body

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  1. Watermark wikiHow to Knit Ties
    Make a slipknot . Wrap the yarn around your index finger and your middle finger. Bring the second loop over the first loop, and pull on the tail end of the yarn to tighten the base of the loop. Then, slide the loop onto your right-hand knitting needle and tug the tail to tighten the loop around the needle.
    • This will count as your first cast on stitch.
  2. Watermark wikiHow to Knit Ties
    Cast on 11 stitches. Use the working yarn (yarn attached to the ball) to make a loop over the tip of the left-hand needle. Then, insert the tip of your right-hand needle into the loop. Bring the working yarn over the tip of your right-hand needle, and then pull this yarn through the loop to create a cast on stitch. [1]
    • Keep casting on until you have a total of 12 stitches on your right-hand needle. [2]
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  3. Watermark wikiHow to Knit Ties
    Knit 1. [3] Insert the right-hand needle into the first stitch on the left-hand needle going towards the back of the stitch. Then, bring the working yarn over the tip of the needle, and pull this yarn through the cast on stitch. This will create a new stitch on the right-hand needle. [4]
    • Keep the yarn behind your work every time you knit a stitch.
  4. Watermark wikiHow to Knit Ties
    Purl 1. [5] Then, insert the right-hand needle into the first stitch on the left-hand needle going from back to front. Loop the yarn over the tip of the right-hand needle, and then bring this yarn through the loop to create a new stitch. [6]
    • Move the yarn to the front of your work when you purl.
  5. Watermark wikiHow to Knit Ties
    This is the first row of what is called the seed (or moss) stitch . It will create a textured surface all over the tie. [7]
    • Follow this stitch sequence for every odd row in the pattern.
  6. Watermark wikiHow to Knit Ties
    Instead of knitting then purling, purl and then knit for the even rows. Purl the first stitch in the row, and then knit the second stitch in the row.
    • Repeat this stitch sequence to the end of the row.
  7. Watermark wikiHow to Knit Ties
    When your tie is 21 inches (53 cm) long, you will begin working decreases to shape the narrow section of the tie. [8]
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Part 2
Part 2 of 3:

Working Decreases

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  1. Watermark wikiHow to Knit Ties
    Insert your right-hand needle into the first 2 stitches in the row. Bring the yarn over the tip of the needle, and then pull through the 2 stitches. The new stitch on your right-hand needle will replace the 2 stitches you knit into. [9]
    • Working a decrease at the beginning of the row will reduce the total number of stitches in the row. [10]
  2. Watermark wikiHow to Knit Ties
    Pick up where you left off with the seed stitch, which should be a knit and then purl row. Knit 1 and purl 1 across the row, but stop before you knit the last 2 stitches. [11]
    • If your last row was a knit 1 and purl 1 row, then you can reverse the stitch order for this row and purl 1 and knit 1 instead.
  3. Watermark wikiHow to Knit Ties
    Finish the row by knitting the last 2 stitches together. Use the same technique as you did before. [12]
    • You should now have 10 stitches in the row.
  4. Watermark wikiHow to Knit Ties
    After the decrease row, resume working in the seed stitch. If you knit 1 and purled 1 for this row, then your next row will be purl 1 and then knit 1. [13]
    • You can use a row counter to keep track of the rows, or just keep a tally using a sheet of paper.
  5. Watermark wikiHow to Knit Ties
    Knit the first 2 stitches together, continue in the seed stitch for the center part of the row, and then knit the last 2 stitches together. This is the last decrease row you will work. [14]
    • You should have 8 stitches at the end of this decrease row.
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Part 3
Part 3 of 3:

Finishing the Tie

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  1. Watermark wikiHow to Knit Ties
    This is the suggested length, but you can make your tie a little longer or shorter if desired. Measure the tie with measuring tape when it looks like to is getting close to the desired length. [15]
    • This next section of the tie is the longest, but it is also narrow so you can knit it quickly.
  2. Watermark wikiHow to Knit Ties
    Bind off the last row. Knit the first 2 stitches in the row, and then use the left-hand needle to lift the first stitch on the right-hand needle over the second stitch. Bring the first stitch up and over the second stitch so it slides off the end of the needle. Then, knit 1 and lift the new first stitch up and over the new second stitch. [16]
    • Continue to bind off your stitches this way to the end of the row.
  3. Watermark wikiHow to Knit Ties
    Cut the working yarn about 6 inches (15 cm) from the last stitch. Use the strand to tie a knot through the last stitch. Then, either cut the excess yarn about 0.25 in (0.64 cm) from the last stitch, or leave the yarn long and use a yarn needle to sew the end into the edge of the tie.
    • Repeat this for the tail end of yarn at the beginning of the tie.
    • Your tie is now finished! Put it on and tie it to see how it looks!
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Expert Q&A

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      Tips

      • You can work the body of the tie in a different stitch if you want a different look or texture. For example, you could make a plain knit or garter stitch tie for something simple, or try the waffle stitch, brioche stitch , or loopy stitch for something more intricate.
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      Things You’ll Need

      • Yarn in medium, worsted-weight
      • A pair of US size 8 (5.0 mm) knitting needles
      • Scissors
      • Yarn needle

      Expert Interview

      Thanks for reading our article! If you’d like to learn more about knitting, check out our in-depth interview with Blythe Nudelman .

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