How to Tie a Friendship Knot

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Last Updated: May 28, 2025 Tested

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Preparing the Scarf

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Making the Folds

Friendship knots look really intricate but are nice and easy to achieve. These square knots are the perfect way to tie a scarf around your neck and are a great skill to know, especially if you are part of a Scout group. All you need to achieve this popular knot is a scarf and a spare 5 minutes.

Part 1

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Preparing the Scarf

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1
Purchase a scarf that has different coloured points. Friendship knots work best on two-toned scarves as the different colours make it easy to identify the 2 opposite points. A two-toned scarf will also accentuate the folds and layers of the knot. If you don’t have your own, purchase one from a department store, a Scouts club, or online.
- A triangle shaped scarf works best for this knot, however, if you only have a square scarf, fold it in half so that it looks like a triangle.
- Scarves are often given out for free to Scout members.
2
Remove any wrinkles from the scarf with an iron. The scarf will be much easier to fold if the edges have been ironed and it will help the final knot look nice and crisp. Place the scarf on an ironing board and rub the iron over the entire scarf until it is free from wrinkles and the corners lie flat.
- If a wrinkle isn’t coming out, try not to hold the iron down on the scarf; instead move it back and forth.
- If your scarf is made from silk, place a thin towel over the scarf and turn the iron down to the coolest setting.^{[1]
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This will make it much easier to make the folds. Place the scarf on a clean table or floor. Lay the long edge of the scarf at the top and the opposite point of the scarf below to create an upside-down triangle.
4
Roll the long edge of the scarf 5 times to create a thin rope. Use your fingertips to roll the long edge of the scarf toward the opposite point. Aim for each overhanging end of the rope to be 5 inches (13 cm) long.
- Try to roll the scarf as tightly as possible as this will make it easier to fold.

Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Making the Folds

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1
Cross end A of the scarf under and then back over end B. Place end A under the end B to form a cross shape. Then, fold end A back onto itself, over end B. Make these folds about 4 inches (10 cm) from the end of the scarf to give plenty of room to make the rest of the folds.^{[2]
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- The right side of the scarf is referred to as end A and the left side as end B.
2
Wrap end B around your finger and under the join. Hold your finger under end B at the joining point of each end of the rope. Pull end B over your finger, under the existing folds, and then back to your finger so that end B creates a loop.
- Use a finger from your non-dominant hand to make the folding easier.
3
Remove your finger from end B and push end A through the hole. Gently pull your finger out of the rope to reveal the loop. Thread end A over end B and through the loop.
- Don’t worry if the ends of the scarf get unravelled as you make the folds. The rolls are simply for the purpose of making the folds easier.
4
Pull the ends of the ropes tight to form a square knot. Push end A all the way through the loop and pull on the ends of the other ropes to secure the knot in place. Gently tub each end as needed to turn the knot into a square shape.
- Don’t worry if you pull 1 end of the rope too tight; you can simply push it back to its original position.