How to Tie a Wild Rag (Video)

You found the gorgeous silk scarves called wild rags and now you want to wear one all the time!

Cowboys, ranch hands, and buckaroos wear these silk scarves because they wick away sweat in the summer, keeping them cool. They also keep heat in, in the winter!

And they can be used for just about anything on the back of a horse: mend a stirrup leather, tie a hat down, or even filter water in a pinch. No wonder a cowboy always has a silk scarf around his neck!

Well how the heck do you tie it? Well, there are 2 great ways to tie a Western wild rag or cowboy scarf. Our Western guy Marty and his sons Wells and Pace will show you how to do it.

Tying a Buckaroo Knot

First, you can tie a wild rag in a buckaroo knot, also called a square knot:

Here’s how to do that: (See the video below for a detailed explanation.)

To start, fold your scarf in half diagonally, so it’s a long triangle. Put the scarf around the back of your neck, holding the ends of the scarf out in your hands.

Hold 2 fingers of your left hand out. Take your right hand and wrap the wild rag around your left fingers once. Then, with your other fingers, hold it there.

Reach back under and grab the other side of the scarf. Come over the front and split the wrap, right over the top of your fingers.

Then come up underneath by your chin and reach back through to grab that tail of the wild rag.

Now that you have that end, go through the loop that’s over your fingers, going through the same direction your fingers are going. Reach through and pull that tail tight.

Straighten the square out by pulling each end. There you have your square knot!

Thanks Wells and Marty for showing us how to tie a wild rag in a square knot!

Tying a Simple Knot

Or, if you want a snugger fit with less fiddling, here’s how to tie a silk scarf in a basic knot.

1. Take your silk scarf and fold it in half, into a triangle.
2. Put the scarf around your neck, with the big edge of the triangle going around your neck and the middle point on your chest.
3. Cross the two points that are lying on your back behind your neck, and then bring them back over your shoulders.
4. To finish, just tie the two ends under your chin in a granny knot. To tie a granny knot, simply tie an overhand knot, then tie an overhand knot again.

There you are!

Do you have another way of tying your wild rag, or want us to do more videos? Leave a comment below and let us know!

Click the scarves below to explore the wild rags for sale at Smith & Edwards:

And know that you know how to tie a wild rag, send us a picture of you wearing yours to info@smithandedwards.com or post it to our Facebook page!