Windsor Knot

The Windsor Knot was supposedly invented by the Duke of Windsor, although he denied it. This knot is awfully large.

To tie a Windsor Knot, drape the tie around your neck with the fat end falling to your right. Wrap the fat end around the thin end of the tie once, ascending so the fat end goes through the "V" made by the tie at your throat. Loop the fat end around the thin end again, this time descending across the front of the knot. Bring the fat end up through the "V" and drop it down through the second loop.

See also the Half-Windsor and the Four-in-hand knot.

Tying the Full Windsor Knot for the Complete Bum

Note: These instructions are for right-handed persons. If you are left-handed, you will probably find it easier to perform the mirror image of what these instructions illustrate.

1. Flip your shirt collar up (you do have a shirt, right?) and hang the tie around your neck so that its back side is against your neck and the thicker side is to your right.
2. Adjust the lengths of the two ends so that the thicker end is slightly more than twice the length of the thinner. (Fold the thicker end up to the top button of your shirt. The fold of the thicker end should be ½-1" below the tip of the thinner end.)
3. With your left hand, hold the thicker end in front of the thinner one to form an X, centered above the third button of the shirt.
4. Pull the thicker end behind the thinner and out to your right, the thicker end's back side facing away from your chest.
5. Pass the thicker end over the knot and down through the top of the Y, so that it hangs behind the thinner end with its back still facing away from you.
6. Again, wrap the thicker end across the knot from the right to the left.
7. Now, pull the thicker end from behind up through the top of the Y so that it hangs over the knot and down over the thinner end with its back now facing you.
8. Tuck the thicker end down through the outmost loop of the knot and let it hang over the thinner end.
9. Tighten the knot by gently holding the knot and sliding it up while holding the thicker end. Slide the knot up to its correct position by pulling the thinner end while holding the knot behind the thicker end. This step is the trickiest part. The knot must look neat and symmetrical, and the tip of the broad end should hang directly above the belt buckle.
10. Tuck the thinner end down through the tag on the broad end if needed, and you're good to go.

The following is brought to you by the power of ASCII Art! It is a representation of how to tie a Windsor Knot, and is based on what it would look like when observing a right-handed person tying one.

1. Pass the wide end of the tie over the narrow end.

      \ \ | |
       \ \| |
        \ \ |
         \ \|
          \  \
          |\   \
          | \   \
          | |\    \
          \ / \     \
           V   \      \
                \      \
                 \       \
                  \      /
                   \____/

2. Loop the wide end around behind the narrow end.

         _| |__
     \ \/ | |  \
      \ \ | |_  \
      /\ \| | \  |
    /   \ \_|_/ /
  /    / \_____/
/     /   | |
     /    | |
    /     | |
   /      | |
  /       \ /
 /         V
/

3. Loop the wide end down through the "V" made by the tie under your neck from the front, forming a reverse-tie.

     \  \ | |
      \__\|_|___
       |       |
        \     /
        |\___/|
       |  | |  |
       |  | |  |
      |   | |   |
      |   | |   |
      |   | |   |
     |    | |    |
     |    \ /    |
           V

4. Now, pass the wide end back over the nice triangle knot again.

                    \  \ | |
  ___________________\__\|_|___
 /                            |
/                            /
\                      _____/
 \             ____----  | |
  \______------          | |
                         | |
                         | |
                         | |
                         | |
                         \ /
                          V

5. Then back up through the "V", this time from the back of the knot.

  
    /         
   /  \ | |  
  /   _\|_|___ 
 /   /        |
|   /        /
\_/_________/
        | |
        | |
        | |
        | |
        | |
        | |
        \ /
         V 

6. Now finally, thread the wide end down through the loop formed by the triangle from the first knot in Step 2.

        \ |  |
        _\|_ |__
       |        |
        \      /
         \____/
         /    \
        /      \
        |      |
        |      |
       |        |
       |        |
       \        /
        \      /
         \    /
          \  /
           \/

Pull down on the wide end of the tie to adjust the width and tightness of the knot, and then pull down on the narrow end of the tie (pushing up on the knot) to place the knot over your top button.