Flat Loop Tie

Appears in
An American Taste of Japan

By Elizabeth Andoh

Published 1985

  • About

For a flat loop, make a loop from light-colored ribbon. Lay dark ribbon on top of the loop, then weave it under the left-hand light-colored strand.

Continue to weave with this dark strand: over, then under the light ribbons, then over the dark and under the light one.

Pull the knot snug; tie the light and dark strands together behind your napkin or sheath.

The wisteria cluster knot is similar to our square knot. It looks most like its namesake when made from two tones of mauve, though it’s attractive in contrasting colors of a bolder nature, too. This knot is often used to tie the top strings of an obi, particularly on a young lady dressed for some special affair. Then, as at most other times, the trailing ends from both sides of the knot are discretely bound together out of sight. Here, I’ve suggested a variation on that theme, bringing the ends of the ribbon together around a folded napkin and knotting them to suggest clusters of dripping, dropping wisteria blossoms. Even though the smooth surface of satin or silk rope may prove a bit tricky at first, once you’ve mastered the technique of tying, I think the sheen from smooth surfaces adds a particularly graceful nuance to the final knot.