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Ian's Shoelace Site |
Ian's Secure Shoelace Knot |
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My secure shoelace knot was developed by analysing several secure knots
and combining their best features, with the emphasis on ease of tying:
Make two loops and pass them both through the hole in the middle.
Ian's Secure Shoelace Knot
This is a variation of a Surgeon's Knot, a well-known secure knot.
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Step 1:
Tie a Starting Knot as shown, then make both laces into "loops" by simply doubling them
back onto themselves.
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Step 2:
Cross the two loops over each other so that the right (blue) loop ends up in front and the left (purple) loop ends
up behind. The purple loop is now the right loop.
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Step 3:
Begin to wrap the right (purple) loop around the left (blue) loop to end up in front.
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Step 4:
At the same time, begin to wrap the left (blue) loop around the back. You will end up with the ends of both loops on
opposite sides of the "hole" in the middle.
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Step 5:
Feed both ends of the loops through the hole in the middle. The right (purple) loop goes out the back and the left
(blue) loop comes out the front.
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Step 6:
Now, simply pull the loops to tighten the knot. The whole twisted mess of the previous drawing will rearrange itself
into a neat finished knot. Trust me, it works!
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Finished Knot:
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NOTE:
The final drawing above shows a stylised version of the finished knot in order to follow what goes where. When
pulled tight, the sides of the knot come together in the middle and effectively hide the whole double-twisted top
section. The result should be a tight, closed knot with a symmetrical, double wrap around the middle, as compared
to the single wrap of a normal shoelace knot.
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If your finished knot looks uneven or twisted, it may help to pull on the lace ends to partly un-tie your
laces; this will bring the outer sections of the knot together, making the inner section more even. Then, pull on
the loops once again to re-tighten the knot.
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This extra secure shoelace knot is fast becoming indispensable as more and more shoes nowadays are sold with round,
slippery laces. It's also great for people who are very active on their feet, such as when playing serious sports or
mountain climbing, as well as for yachties whose deck shoes are contantly getting wet.
For normal activities, the Ian Knot or other standard knots should be quite secure. I
believe that many people seek more secure knots because they are, without realizing, tying their shoelaces with a
"Slip" knot. Please see my Slipping Shoelace Knots page that discusses this in detail.
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Tell Ian how you went
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Were you able to follow the instructions and successfully use Ian's Secure Knot to tie your shoelaces? Use one of
the buttons below to e-mail me and let me know how you went. Don't forget to type a quick "Hello" & where you're
e-mailing from. I personally answer all e-mails (except spam!) |
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Note: Ian values privacy: his, yours and everyone else's.
Your e-mail address will never be divulged to anyone else.
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Copyright © 2004 by
Ian W. Fieggen. All rights reserved.
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