How To: Tie a tie with 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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