Tie the 'Christensen' (aka 'Cross') knot

This knot belongs to a bygone race and is one of the last remaining examples of old tie knotting. The knot was called "Christensen" due to its 1917 publishing in a catalog on behalf of the Swedish tie-maker Amanda Christensen. Its secret is not explained in any of the manuals of its time, and only in recent years has there been a renewed interest in the knot, and an explanation on how to tie it.

The knot is quite difficult to tie as the last move goes through not one but two loops. These loops are harmoniously crossed over at the triangle of the tie and make up an X-shape over the triangle. It can be quite tricky to tighten. The X formed in this way lends the idea of a delicate squeezing of the blade which flows into the bottleneck of the knot from where it emerges with newfound verve.

The "Christensen" knot was devised for the cravats of the time; same width from start to end. This enables the X to be balanced. Today's tie's which will work well with the Christensen should be of the narrow sort. To be used at semiformal occasions.

The video is to be viewed as if you were looking in a mirror.

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Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• Tie
• Christensen
• Cross
• knot

[sagewoodruff]

swizz... it is considered traditional etiquette to place a "dimple" in the tie below the knot. You must remember that the "suit" tradition spans back hundreds of years and had many caveats that a true gentlemen adheres to.

[avvi66]

I do favor a good dimple, but I believe that it is a personal choice whether one wishes to have a dimple or not. Your argument is valid none the less. Dimples are mostly used by far.

[ShinyHappySpiderMan]

I really love all your vids. I've learnt all your knots in one night, and I love it. Feels som good to be able to vary the knot according to the rest of my outfit and the mood of the day. On the Cavendish page you mentioned a book about 85 different knots... amazing! I couldn't begin to think there were that many possibilites.

Thank you som much for your beautiful demonstrations. And, if you have the time and inclination, I'd love a few more vids, of your skills. Another old knot maybe..?:-)

[avvi66]

Thank you very much! Yes, there will be coming more this fall. :-)

[llj2kll]

i heard no matter what it's better to untie a tie backwards all the time, otherwise it could warp the tie.

[avvi66]

I agree.

[Catsetsfire]

Honestly they all look the same to me.

[australiawideok]

Thank You Very Much ! I got to attend a wedding reception in 30 minutes.

Thanks to this video. It helped me tie up my tie !!! THANKS MATE !!!! 5 STARS ! ! !

[tchristec8]

Are you sure she wasn't Danish? Christensen is a Danish spelling.

[leofracassi]

this was not a diagonal knot.

[goclick]

The problem is wearing a cross knot tends to result in comments like “Hey Bill, your knot looks a little funny, I think you might want to go to the bathroom and fix it.”

[Rascaduanok]

OK I tried this out… I use a tiny portion for the narrow blade, but still end up with my tie a little short which, in turn, makes me look as though I have emulated a mobster. Do you use an extra–long tie for this knot?

[Rascaduanok]

This looks absolutely magnificent. I shall use this Cross Knot from now on. Thanks for the splendidly done video. No words necessary!

[coledunk93]

the way i learned to tie a tie was alot like this only it skipped the first part, the bigger end wrapping around the smaller. if you have any idea could you please tell me what this knot is called?

[korte9326]

@theonlykookiee

- how symmetrical

- how wide

- how triangular

- how much is left hanging

- is it self-releasing

- how big

All these depend on the type of the tie

[princeofallsaiyans11]

@BowToMySkill Doesn't work best with all ties. While the Double Windsor is a good knot, it tends to be thicker and is mostly used for more formal occasions. Sometimes a thinner knot is more appropriate.

[9kevin]

@BowToMySkill well yeah, but it depends the kind of collar you have. A double windsor would not look good in a narrow collar, for this example you want to go with the half windsor. This particular knot you saw in this video, perhaps will make it look unique. For me this knot is my favorite, because I dont make the knot too tight, I tend to leave it a little bit loose, and trust me it looks awsome.

[BowToMySkill]

why tie a tie a million diferent ways? double windsor is a perfectly fine way to tie the tie