How To Tie The Entered Apprentice Knot

by J. Paul Gomez January 30, 2020

But there's no such thing as "Entered Apprentice knot"! You're absolutely right. It is my feeble attempt to add a Masonic flair to this article for the love of Google and for the sake of SEO.

But there's another reason why I'm calling this the Entered Apprentice knot- it is the first knot that most boys learn from their fathers when they first learn how to tie a tie, hence the nickname "schoolboy knot". Because of its simplicity and elegance, it is the most popular tie knot in the world. At one point, the four-in-hand is the only tie allowed by the United States Army. 

Why the name "Four-in-Hand"?

There's an exclusive London gentlemen's club that we have to thank for it (hint: not the Freemasons). It became popular among members of the Four-in-Hand Driving Club in the 1850s. Etymologists report that carriage drivers in Great Britain knotted their reins with a four-in-hand knot. 

The drivers also wore their scarves and cravats knotted in "four-in-hand". A cravat such as the FraternalTies Platinum Corinthian cravat below is tied with four-in-hand that is why the knot is also known as the "cravat knot". 

When it's used to attach a rope to an object, the four-in-hand knot is known as the buntline hitch. It was used by sailors throughout the age of sail to rig ships and remains a useful working knot today.

Asymmetrical Elegance

How is it that such a simple and irregularly balanced knot can acquire a handsome and dignified look? The answer may lie in a world view which the Japanese call wabi-sabi- a philosophy which is centred on the acceptance of transience and imperfection. The aesthetic is sometimes described as one of beauty that is "imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete".

How to tie the Four-in-Hand knot?

The four-in-hand is an extremely versatile knot that will look slightly different each time you tie it but always asymmetrical. Here's a photo of the knots card that we ship along with our ties while the accompanying text instruction is taken word for word from Business Insider.

1. Drape the tie around your neck with the wide end on your left side and the skinny end on your right.
2. Cross the left over the right side.
3. Bring the wide end under and back to the left.
4. Cross the wide end over again.
5. Pull the wide end through the neck loop.
6. Bring the wide end down through the neck loop
7. Tighten the knot.

 

Featured neckties:

1. FraternalTies 32nd Degree Scottish Rite Freemason black Jacquard silk necktie
2. FraternalTies Platinum Corinthian Cravat
3. FraternalTies Royal Arch Masons Sanguine Triple Tau Tie 

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