Father and Son Knit Ties
When it comes to gifts for my dad and brothers, I often find myself stumped. Thanks to Page’s Rolled Hem Handkercheifs, their pockets are chock-full of squares; and thanks to years of knitting, their heads and feet are warmed by piles of hats and socks. In need of a new go-to gift, the Father Son Knit Ties were born!
Now, my dad and brothers aren’t fancy men, but they are gentlemen of the southern variety. They don’t flinch at dressing up, and somehow even their “casual” is always quite pulled together. I think these chic and simple hand knit ties will be right at home with their refined style, dressing up jeans and a sweater or adding a kick to slacks and a blazer.
I made these ties with two gorgeous yarns, Koigu’s Premium Merino and Anzula’s Sebastian: one matte and one shiny for textural complexity and both with a sophisticated polish that makes these ties special! The Father’s Tie is in reverse stockinette with a handsome stripe, and the Son’s Tie is a sweet and easy Fair Isle pattern. Both are delightful to make, for dads and brothers or yourself! And, just in time for Valentine’s Day!
Designed by Purl Soho designer, Laura Ferguson.
Share your progress and connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho, #PurlSohoBusyHands, and #PurlSohoFatherAndSonTies. We can’t wait to see what you make!
Materials
- Main Color (MC): 1 skein of Anzula’s Sebastian, 70% superwash merino, 30% sea cell. This is the color Seaside. (Please Note: Anzula is no longer producing Sebastian.)
- Contrast Color (CC): 2 skeins of Koigu’s Premium Merino, 100% merino. This is the color 2400.
- A set of US 2 (3 mm) double pointed needles
NOTE: This is enough yarn for one Father’s Tie and one Son’s Tie. If you are making just one of the Son’s Ties, you will only need 1 skein of each yarn, if you are making one of the Father’s Ties, you will need 2 Koigu and 1 Sebastian.. The Father’s Tie takes approximately 245 yards, and the Son’s Tie takes approximately 150 yards.
Gauge
Son’s Tie: 40 stitches = 4 inches in stockinette stitch
Father’s Tie: 40 stitches = 4 inches in reverse stockinette stitch
Sizes
Son’s Tie: 1¼-inches wide by 42-inches long
Father’s Tie: 1⅜-inches wide by 56-inches long
Pattern: Son’s Tie
Begin
Cast on 13 stitches with MC. We used a basic Long Tail Cast On.
Set up Row: K1, *k1 but before removing it from the left-hand needle, bring the yarn to the front and purl that same stitch, repeat from * to last stitch, k1. (24 stitches)
Rearranging the Stitches
Do not turn your work. Slide the stitches to the right end of the double pointed needle.
Holding two empty double pointed needles parallel to one another in your right hand, slip the first stitch onto the back needle, slip the second stitch onto the front, third onto the back, fourth onto the front, fifth onto the back. Continue in this fashion, slipping every even stitch onto the front needle and every odd stitch onto the back, until you have slipped all 24 stitches and there are 12 stitches on each needle.
Do not turn your work. Slide all the stitches to the right ends of the needles. Slip 6 stitches from the front needle onto a third double pointed needle, and slip 6 stitches from the back needle onto a fourth double pointed needle. With 6 stitches on each of four needles, use a fifth needle to begin working in the round. (After a few rounds when the work loosens up a bit, you may want to redistribute the stitches onto three needles.)
Work in the Round
* [K11, p1] 2 times, for 6 rounds.
Next Round: [K1, (k1 with CC, k3) 2 times, k1 with CC, k1, p1] 2 times.
[K11, p1] 2 times, for 6 rounds.
Next Round: [(K3, k1 with CC) two times, k3, p1] 2 times.
Repeat pattern from * until piece measures approximately 41 1/2 inches from cast on edge. Before you’ve knit too many inches, make sure to turn your tie inside out and weave in the tail of the contrast yarn.
After your last row using the CC, cut yarn and weave in end.
[K11, p1] 2 times, for 6 rounds.
Rearranging the Stitches, Again
Slip the next 12 stitches onto one double pointed needle, and slip the remaining 12 stitches onto a second double pointed needle.
Hold the two needles parallel to one another in your left hand with the working yarn coming from the back needle.
With a third needle, K1 off the back needle, k11 through both the next stitch on the front and the back needle, p1 off the front needle. (13 stitches)
Bind off purlwise.
Block, weave in your ends and you are finished!
Pattern: Father’s Tie
Begin
Using a Cable Cast On, cast on 16 stitches with MC.
Set up Row: K1, *k1 but do not remove it from the left needle, bring the yarn to the front and purl stitch, repeat from * to last stitch, k1. (30 stitches)
Rearranging the Stitches
Do not turn your work. Slide the stitches to the right end of the double pointed needle.
Holding two empty double pointed needles parallel to one another in your right hand, slip the first stitch onto the front needle, slip the second stitch onto the back, third onto the front, fourth onto the back, fifth onto the front. Continue in this fashion, slipping every even stitch onto the back needle and every odd stitch onto the front, until you have slipped all 30 stitches and there are 15 stitches on each needle.
Do not turn your work. Slide all the stitches to the right ends of the needles. Slip 7 stitches from the front needle onto a third double pointed needle, and slip 7 stitches from the back needle onto a fourth double pointed needle. With 7 stitches on each of two needles and 8 stitches on each of the other two needles, use a fifth needle to begin working in the round. (After a few rounds when the work loosens up a bit, you may want to redistribute the stitches onto three needles.)
Work in the Round
*[K1, p14] 2 times, for 11 rounds.
Next Round: [With CC, slip 1 purlwise with yarn in back, p14] 2 times.
Repeat from * until piece measures approximately 54 1/2 inches from cast on edge.
[K1, p14] 2 times, for 11 rounds.
Rearranging the Stitches, Again
Slip the next 15 stitches onto one double pointed needle, and slip the remaining 15 stitches onto a second double pointed needle.
Hold the two needles parallel to one another in your left hand with the working yarn coming from the back needle.
With a third needle, K1 off the back needle, p14 through both the next stitch on the back and the front needle, k1 off the front needle. (16 stitches)
Bind off knitwise.
Block, weave in your ends and you are finished!
Hi there,
Thank you for the lovely designs – my brother in law, a tie-fanatic, is going to love this for Christmas!
My question is about that little extra stretch that appears at the edge stitches when knitting in the round. Once I rearranged to three dps, I noticed what looked almost like a pantyhose run up both sides of the tie (at the point when I join from one needle to another). Is there a way to prevent this?
Hi Amber,
You are welcome. Glad you like the designs on our site.
Gaps between stitches between double pointed needles are called ladders sometimes (because you can see the horizontal yarn stretching from one column of stitches to th next). These ladders can be prevented. If one round, every few rounds, you work the first stitch off the next needle onto your working needle (rather than the empty needle) this will shift the last / first stitch of each double pointed needle, helping to keep a consistent tension across all your stitches. Also, blocking will help too.
Thanks,
Laura
I recently learned how to knit and thought this might be out of my skill level but after a few tries I have finally got it! Thank you for this great tutorial!
Hello! Great pattern as always, and free at that, love you guys. But I have a question; can you describe how I would do the slip stitch area (after the increases) on magic loop?
PS My daughter adores her toddler socks. 😉
Hi Katrina,
I asked out resident Magic Loop expert, Thomas, to field this question. Below is what he said. Please let us know if you have any questions!
Laura
I find that the slipping part actually makes a little more sense on magic loop. Here's how I would do it:
-follow the directions for the cast on and increases.
-slip all stitches to a stitch holder or a double point needle
-fold long circular needle (the one to be used for magic loop) in half and follow the directions for slipping the stitches to either end of the circular needle alternatively. (You can imagine in the first picture after "rearranging the stitches", that the cord of the needle is off the picture to the right.)
-skip all directions about slipping to four needles (anything after the second picture)
-join to knit in the round as usual for magic loop following directions after "work in the round."
NOTE: later in the pattern you can do the three needle bind off right off the end of the two tips of the circular needle… No rearranging needed. You just need a separate needle of the same size (double point or any type laying around works… It could probably even be one size up to assist with binding off loosely).
Hi, this is an interesting pattern, the first I found using the double knit which is pretty tricky to get started. I'm very good at knitting in the round and I fear that I may have made some sort of error in that first round. I'm not too concerned since it isn't that noticeable but I would highly suggest having someone in the know help anyone who is not used to knitting in the round.
My question is…I am using only 1 color. After the initial 11 rounds, do I follow the next set of instructions: "Next Round: [With CC, slip 1 purlwise with yarn in back, p14] 2 times"…I'm wondering if the slip 1 purlwise is to just get the new color started? I can't tell if this first stitch would be knitted if I were keeping with the same color yarn. Thanks for your help!
Hi Denise,
Thank you for your feedback. The start of this project is a bit peculiar. I wanted to introduce a new technique and have a clean seam at the base of the tie. It has raise questions though. Thanks again for sharing your experience.
As for the slip 1 purlwise with the CC… you are correct, this is to avoid having the CC in the column of knit stitches along the two sides. If you are working in all one color, you can knit that first and 16th stitch.
Thanks for writing in.
Let me know if you have any other questions.
Laura
I’d say I’m a pretty intermediate knitter and there is just no way I can knit these ties. 🙁 The DPNs at the beginning are so incredibly unmanageable that I’m almost amazed anyone would deal with them. So sad because I love love love Purl Bee patterns. Maybe when I get better. :/
Hi Aubrey-
I’m so sorry to hear you’re having trouble with this pattern. Double pointed needles can be confusing but unfortunately they are necessary when knitting such a small circumference. If there is anything specific you’re having trouble with we’d be happy to help walk you through it! And, if you’re not totally ready to give up you might want to check out our double pointed needle tutorial here: https://www.purlsoho.com/create/2008/07/25/double-pointed-needles/
Thank you and please do let us know if you’d like more help with this!
Molly
Any chance you can do a video of getting started with the 4 needles. I have knitted in the round and just seem to be stuck. I get up to work in the round, but I can not tell where to start. Thank you!
Hello Cindy,
Thank you for reaching out! We do not currently have a video for working with double pointed needles, but I will happily pass along your request. In the mean here is an in-depth picture tutorial: Double Pointed Needles
Happy knitting!
-Marilla
Hi there, I just started making the Father tie last night. Is the CC thread supposed to be broken after each CC row? If so, do you just weave them in as you go?
Hi Lisa H.
Yes, you cut the CC thread after each CC row. And weaving them in as you go is definitely easiest. Or you can turn the piece inside out before you bind off and weave them all in then. Thanks.
Laura
Thanks so much for the clarification, Laura!
I prefer doing everything with magic loop. Do you have instructions for the cast on using the magic loop method rather than double point needles?
I love your tie patterns and hope to start the Father’s tie soon.
Hi Lisa.
Unfortunately, right now, we only have the instructions that you see here on the pattern page.
Thanks for writing in.
Best,
Laura
Hi,
I am very excited to make these ties. Could you suggest how I can create a point at the bottom of the tie instead of having it be flat?
Thank you!
Hi Tali.
Great question! You could begin with fewer stitches and then increase at the beginning of each round and at the half way point of each round until you have the desired number of stitches.
If you start with 4 (6) stitches for the son (father) tie and had a marker at the beginning of the round as well as at the half way point, then you could work…
Increase Round: [K1, m1L, knit to marker, m1R] 2 times. (4 stitches increased)
Repeat Increase Round four (five) more times. 24 (30) stitches
Then continue pattern as written.
Hope this helps.
Best,
Laura
J adore votre site et j ai tricoté pas mal de vos modèles. En ce qui concerne ces cravates j en ai faite une pour mon fils et tous ses amis m en réclament!
Plutôt que tricoter en rond j ai choisi de la faire en mailles doubles ( tricoter une maille; passer la suivante fil devant et au rang suivant inverser la maille non tricotée. )
Le résultat est parfait
Cela va peut-être rassurer celles qui hésitent à tricoter en rond
Mille mercis
CL
trouble figuring out the beginning- not sure if I’m doing this right. I got as far as knit/purling the set up row and rearranging all the stitches, and now have two sets of two needles with stitches connected across them…can’t figure out how to arrange the needles in the round
Hi Lauren,
Thanks for writing us! I believe you are all set to knit in the round but here is some review: After rearranging your stitches, slip six stitches (starting from the right most stitch) from the front needle on to a third needle. Do the same for the back needle stitches. Start knitting in the round, knitting counter clockwise. I hope this helps!
Best,
Adam
What is the point of slipping the stitches onto the four different needles in the way you’ve suggeste? I’m having a very hard time with it! Will it change the look if I just slip the stitches how I would normally, sliding them off the right end of the needle onto another one?
Hi Emma,
Thank you for writing us! After you have rearranged your cast on, you’ll be left with two parallel needles, which can’t be knit unless redistributed. We redistribute the stitches on to four needles because four needles are easier to work with than three with such a cast on. If you are having a hard time because you are a lefty, then you can always turn the work and redistribute!
Best,
Adam
Hi! I know this is an older pattern, and the Anzula Sebastian yarn has been discontinued. Do you have any recommendations for an alternative to the Sebastian yarn? Thanks so much!
Hi Jess,
Sorry for the late reply! I suggest looking at Jade Sapphire’s Khata. It’s the most like Sebastian and actually has a better hand-feel in my opinion. With the amount of yardage you get in the Khata you can make many many ties!
Best of luck!
-Adam
Hi there- it looks like the Khata is also discontinued now! Do you have any other suggestions? would linen quill work for either of these patterns? I’m working through some surplus…
Hello Lillian,
Thank you for reaching out! Linen Quill will work beautifully with this project.
Happy knitting!
-Marilla
JI do not see directions for the Father’s tie and that is the one I want to knit. Thank you Julie
Hi Julie!
Thank you for writing in! The directions for the Father’s Tie are toward the end of the post, but I’ll post them here, too.
“PATTERN: FATHER’S TIE
BEGIN
Using a Cable Cast On, cast on 16 stitches with MC.
Set up Row: K1, *k1 but do not remove it from the left needle, bring the yarn to the front and purl stitch, repeat from * to last stitch, k1. (30 stitches)
REARRANGING THE STITCHES
Do not turn your work. Slide the stitches to the right end of the double pointed needle.
Holding two empty double pointed needles parallel to one another in your right hand, slip the first stitch onto the front needle, slip the second stitch onto the back, third onto the front, fourth onto the back, fifth onto the front. Continue in this fashion, slipping every even stitch onto the back needle and every odd stitch onto the front, until you have slipped all 30 stitches and there are 15 stitches on each needle.
Do not turn your work. Slide all the stitches to the right ends of the needles. Slip 7 stitches from the front needle onto a third double pointed needle, and slip 7 stitches from the back needle onto a fourth double pointed needle. With 7 stitches on each of two needles and 8 stitches on each of the other two needles, use a fifth needle to begin working in the round. (After a few rounds when the work loosens up a bit, you may want to redistribute the stitches onto three needles.)
WORK IN THE ROUND
*[K1, p14] 2 times, for 11 rounds.
Next Round: [With CC, slip 1 purlwise with yarn in back, p14] 2 times.
Repeat from * until piece measures approximately 54 1/2 inches from cast on edge.
[K1, p14] 2 times, for 11 rounds.
REARRANGING THE STITCHES, AGAIN
Slip the next 15 stitches onto one double pointed needle, and slip the remaining 15 stitches onto a second double pointed needle.
Hold the two needles parallel to one another in your left hand with the working yarn coming from the back needle.
With a third needle, K1 off the back needle, p14 through both the next stitch on the back and the front needle, k1 off the front needle. (16 stitches)
Bind off knitwise.
Block, weave in your ends and you are finished!”
Please let us know if you have further questions!
Best wishes,
Kumeko
Why can’t I knit the tie on a circular needle? Arthritis has made my fingers pretty stiff and hard to navigate four needles. Are there any patterns for ties using a circular needle or just two needles. I would really like to have one – or more. Barb Burlison
Hi Barbara,
Thank you for the question. I am not sure they make circular needles with a small enough cord length to knit this tie. You can try knitting the tie using the magic loop method or on two circular needles. I’d YouTube these techniques if you don’t know what I mean. Thanks!
Adam
Hi there!
I am not sure if anyone has posted this question on here but I was wondering is it possible to make the son tie for an adult? I’m pretty new to knitting and would like to take this on but I am not sure if I can convert the son tie to an adult tie. Thank you!
Best,
Melissa
Hi Melissa,
Thanks for writing in! You can certainly knit the son tie for an adult! The easiest way to do so is to knit to the length of the father tie. This will create a slightly thinner tie that is the correct length.
I hope that this helps!
Cassy
Could you write the pattern using two circular needles? One would not need to rearrange any stitches and that is where I get all confused.
Thanks so much.
BTW, would you know where to look for a bow tie that I’d like to knit but the guy wants it to be like a tie, where he can tie it himself. It is a bit past my “pay grade” knowing where to increase and decrease to make it look like a bow.
Hi Yvonne,
Thanks for writing in and for the suggestion! We will certainly keep it in mind! Two circs could work well here as would magic loop! sadly I do not know of a knitted bow tie pattern. You may have some luck on Ravelry. There certainly should be one out there in the world!
Happy knitting!
Cassy
It looks like you no longer carry the Anzula Sebastian (is that right?). Do you have a recommendation for a yarn replacement?
Thank you!
Hello Chelsea,
Thank you for reaching out! I think Anzula’s Squishy would be a lovely replacement for this pattern.
Happy knitting,
Marilla
Hi, I am trying to knit this tie with Quince and Co sparrow. I am having trouble once I need to redistribute the stitches to the four needles. I got it to where needles one and two have eight stitches and needles three and four have seven stitches (per your instructions). I cannot figure out how to knit the stitches off needle two after needle one without completely twisting the work. Am I thinking too much into how you numbered the additional two needles and should this just be knit like a normal in the round pattern? Or is the way you want me to know off these needles integral in creating the seam? I made this pattern years ago and I can’t remember how I got it to work.
Thank you
Hello Jess,
Thank you for reaching out! This should be knit normally in the round. You will want to use a fifth needle to begin working in the round. (After a few rounds when the work loosens up a bit, you may want to redistribute the stitches onto three needles.)
I hope this helps and happy knitting!
-Marilla
I’m in the process of knitting the father’s tie and I think it looks ok when knotted but it’s quite thick and also probably a bit too wide to fit under a collar. Is this something that can be fixed with blocking? Any tips on how to salvage this? I’m already 4 feet in and don’t want to give up! Thank you!!
Hello Karen,
Thank you for reaching out! When blocking I would reccomend pinning it out to be thinner.
I hope this helps and happy knitting!
-Marilla
I am not new to using dp needles but this was a challenge.
Maybe because the work is so small.
I found it easier to keep track of the stitches using needles of two different colors. So one side of the tie is one color and the other is another. Hope this helps. Don’t give up! ^. ^
Hi there! I’m having an issue with ladders between the knit and purl stitches. Any advice?
Hi Tse,
Thanks for reaching out! Laddering can easily happen when working in the round, but luckily I have a few tips to help avoid it! My first tip is to pul the first stitch of the new needle tight, that can solve the problem but also pulling the second stitch tightly can also help even out the tension and avoid laddering. I also recommend Blocking the ties after you finish knitting! That can help you close up the ladders by redistributing the the stitches!
I hope this helps!
Warmly,
Gianna
Hello nice pattern that I would like to knit for my son. My question is: Can I use Judy’s magic cast on or short needles like I would for knitting socks
Thank you
Diane from Canada
Hi Diane,
Thanks for reaching out! We used Five US #2 double pointed needles for this project, but you could also use magic loop for this!
I hope this helps!
Gianna
Thank you so much for responding. I will try with the magic loop method since I never knitted with 4 needles.
I will let you know how it works.
Diane
Love the pattern, but the cast-on is a bit confusing… could one just do the Turkish cast-on or Judy’s magic cast-on for the joined bottom of the tie, as when casting on for a toe-up sock cast on?
Hello,
Thanks for reaching out to us. Yes, you can absolutely use a Turkish cast-on or Judy’s magic cast-on for this project!
Please let us know if you have any other questions!
All the best,
Carly