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The “Granny Knot”

fieggen.com

11–20 of 262 posts

Re: The “Granny Knot”

#11
post #5

The "Ian Knot"[0] (which, I just discovered, was invented by the author of that site) is quite possibly the coolest and fastest way to tie your shoes. [0] - https://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/ianknot.htm

This is how I've been tying my shoes for a while and can recommend! Unfortunately I did not learn it from the inventor's website but rather from this site[1], which may be a total knockoff or may be a case of "parallel thinking".

[1] https://freedomknot.com/

Re: The “Granny Knot”

#12
post #5

The "Ian Knot"[0] (which, I just discovered, was invented by the author of that site) is quite possibly the coolest and fastest way to tie your shoes. [0] - https://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/ianknot.htm

Tried that knot and aside from taking several minutes for me to figure it out, it didn't seem to result in a knot that held very well. I'll stick with the standard way I learned 40 years ago and can do without thinking.

The end knot is identical to the standard bowknot, so it seems unlikely that this would hold any worse. If you're currently tying your shoes in a granny knot, I would be very surprised if that held better than a bowknot.

I've used this method to tie all my shoes for more than a decade and it holds much better than the granny knot, which I'd guess is probably 50% of people (as whether not you end up with a granny or a bow knot is just the toss of a coin). The benefit of Ian's tying method is that it is impossible to end up with a granny knot.

My shoes never* come untied, without needing to resort to a "double-knot".

* Except my Sperry Docksiders, which have leather laces and don't seem to keep any kind of knot very well.

Re: The “Granny Knot”

#13
post #5

The "Ian Knot"[0] (which, I just discovered, was invented by the author of that site) is quite possibly the coolest and fastest way to tie your shoes. [0] - https://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/ianknot.htm

This is how I've been tying my shoes for a while and can recommend! Unfortunately I did not learn it from the inventor's website but rather from this site[1], which may be a total knockoff or may be a case of "parallel thinking". [1] https://freedomknot.com/

I learned it from a 3-min TED talk [0]. I didn't realize it had a proper name.

[0]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAFcV7zuUDA

Re: The “Granny Knot”

#14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Tried that knot and aside from taking several minutes for me to figure it out, it didn't seem to result in a knot that held very well. I'll stick with the standard way I learned 40 years ago and can do without thinking.

The end knot is identical to the standard bowknot, so it seems unlikely that this would hold any worse. If you're currently tying your shoes in a granny knot, I would be very surprised if that held better than a bowknot. I've used this method to tie all my shoes for more than a decade and it holds much better than the granny knot, which I'd guess is probably 50% of people (as whether not you end up with a granny or a…

My regular shoes have round laces, I'd guess they are nylon, some kind of synthetic fiber. Sort of slippery. Never have a problem with them coming untied if I pull the knot tight though. I don't double knot.

Maybe I did the Ian knot wrong. Don't have a problem with the knot I use so not investigating further.

Re: The “Granny Knot”

#15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Tried that knot and aside from taking several minutes for me to figure it out, it didn't seem to result in a knot that held very well. I'll stick with the standard way I learned 40 years ago and can do without thinking.

The end knot is identical to the standard bowknot, so it seems unlikely that this would hold any worse. If you're currently tying your shoes in a granny knot, I would be very surprised if that held better than a bowknot. I've used this method to tie all my shoes for more than a decade and it holds much better than the granny knot, which I'd guess is probably 50% of people (as whether not you end up with a granny or a…

I actually switched to the Ian Knot specifically to handle the stiffer leather laces of boat shoes and boots. Previously, getting a knot in leather to hold was a miracle and I would slip the shoes on and off (causing unnecessary wear and tear) just to avoid disturbing the knot. The Ian Knot allows me to treat leather laces like any other material and has extended the life of several pairs of shoes as a result.

I will say that I cinch the knot tighter with leather laces than any other material because, like you mentioned, they are fussy.

Re: The “Granny Knot”

#16
We (UK) used to call it a 'Granny Knot' if someone at school pulled your tie so it became basically stuck around your neck because it was so tight.

I know now we were totally wrong about that!

This kind of website is why I love the internet. I mean, look at the level of devotion on display here!

Re: The “Granny Knot”

#17

I recommend this knot as an upgrade: https://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/secureknot.htm Do the "bunny ears" way of tying your shoes but loop both "ears" through. Presto, a knot that won't work its way undone and you can usually tell when you step on a lace because there's so much resistance.

This is how I've been tying my shoes for well over a year now, and it's great.

Also how I tie my youngest's cleats for soccer and t-ball: he hasn't had his shoelaces come undone since I switched to this technique.

Re: The “Granny Knot”

#18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is how I've been tying my shoes for a while and can recommend! Unfortunately I did not learn it from the inventor's website but rather from this site[1], which may be a total knockoff or may be a case of "parallel thinking". [1] https://freedomknot.com/

I learned it from a 3-min TED talk [0]. I didn't realize it had a proper name. [0]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAFcV7zuUDA

Well so either way the "proper" way is to end up with a bowknot, as demonstrated. However, the TED talk's method of getting there I would actually classify as wrong.

If you want to use the "bunny rabbit" method, the easiest way to turn your granny into a bow is just to switch which way you tie the laces over each other at the beginning – that is much easier than trying to invert the bunny ear thingy.

However, the even easier way (and what GC was pointing out) is the "Ian" method, where you pull the bows through each other simultaneously, which (with practice) is faster and always guarantees a bow knot.

Re: The “Granny Knot”

#19
post #5

The "Ian Knot"[0] (which, I just discovered, was invented by the author of that site) is quite possibly the coolest and fastest way to tie your shoes. [0] - https://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/ianknot.htm

After I stumbled upon this site years ago, the Ian knot is how I tie my shoes every time.

The hardest part about this knot is making sure that somebody is watching while you do it. Every time I tie my shoes alone, I feel an upwelling of regret, as if there has been an opportunity lost.

Re: The “Granny Knot”

#20
post #9
post #5

The "Ian Knot"[0] (which, I just discovered, was invented by the author of that site) is quite possibly the coolest and fastest way to tie your shoes. [0] - https://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/ianknot.htm

That would not work for me. I need to keep one finger on the slip knot at all times or it becomes loose, resulting in a very unsatisfying knot. This has been by far the biggest hurdle to teaching my kids to tie a decent knot in their shoelaces: they can move through the motions just fine but it's always loose. I actually start with my left index finger on the slip knot then transition to my right index finger halfway…

what slip knot?

I've been using the Ian knot for probably 10 years now, if anything it's easier to tie it tight since you can keep the tension on the first not held until the very end.

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