Guide

Four ways to tie one square

A 35-inch square is the most useful thing in this catalogue because it is four accessories depending on how you fold it. None of these need practice.

Four identical ivory scarves folded and knotted four different ways in a two-by-two grid

Start with the bias fold

Almost everything begins here. Lay the square flat as a diamond. Fold the bottom corner up to meet the top corner to make a triangle. Then roll the long folded edge upward in three or four turns until you have a flat band roughly two inches wide.

Rolling rather than folding keeps the edges soft and stops the band flattening into a crease you cannot get out later.

01 — The bias band

Take the finished band around the back of your neck and bring the ends to the front. Tie a single knot, sitting slightly off centre — around the collarbone rather than at the throat. Let one tail fall longer than the other.

This is the version that works under a jacket collar, because it has almost no bulk at the back of the neck.

02 — The collar knot

Same band, shorter. Wrap it once around the neck so it sits close, cross the ends and tie a small square knot. Push the knot up under an open shirt collar so only the knot and a short tail show.

If the knot keeps slipping down, use a scarf ring instead of a knot — it holds position all day and does not put a crease in the fabric.

03 — The shoulder wrap

Skip the rolling. Fold the square once into a triangle and drape it over your shoulders with the point down your back. Bring the two ends forward, cross them, and either knot them loosely at the chest or pin them with a brooch.

A brooch holds this far better than a knot and lets you keep the drape rather than bunching it.

04 — The handle wrap

Roll the square into a narrow band. Find the centre, place it under the bag handle, and wind each half outward in overlapping turns, each covering about a third of the last. Tie the ends in a small knot or a flat bow at one end of the handle.

A narrow twilly is easier for this than a full square, and it also cushions the handle, which matters on a heavy tote.

Keeping the fabric right

Untie a scarf at the end of the day rather than pulling it off over your head — that is what stretches the bias and puts a permanent kink in the fold line.

Hand wash cold, roll in a towel, dry flat, and iron cool on the reverse. Never iron a pleated scarf; heat destroys the pleats permanently.