I lied about the Windsor knot

by William Jackson on 2009-11-15

If, sometime in the last five years, you asked me what kind of knot I used to tie my tie; and if, in response to your question, I answered, “Windsor;” then I regret to inform you that I lied.

I do not exactly remember where or how I learned the knot I had used for the last five years. I have vague recollections of a set of instructions that came bundled with a tie I received as a gift, but I cannot, with 100% certainty, claim said instructions as the source of the knot I had used for the last five years.

So, somewhere along the way, I convinced myself that I was tying the Windsor knot. “But why?” you may ask. “Perhaps because it sounds impressive,” I might reply.

This weekend I found instructions for The 85 Ways to Tie a Tie, including the Windsor knot. I learned, sadly, that I had not been using the Windsor for the last five years. “But what knot have you been tying for the last five years?” you may ask. “The half-Windsor,” I would reply (to be brief).

To be more accurate, yet long-winded, I would reply, “The co-half-Windsor, a cousin of the half-Windsor, but with the added benefit of being a self-releasing knot.”

However, if you happened to see me at church this morning; and if, upon seeing me, you happened to notice the subtle robustness, balance, and style of my tie knot; and if, upon such notice, you asked me what kind of knot I used to tie my tie; I would, with confidence wrought of diligent research, answer, truthfully, “Windsor.”