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A better way to tie gym shorts (or any drawstring) [video]

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Re: A better way to tie gym shorts (or any drawstring) [video]

#181

Post by wccrawford »

m463 wrote: post #176
wccrawford wrote: post #45

I did this for a while after seeing that video, but after some of my shorts ended up tightening into a knot that I couldn't get loose easily, I gave up on it. I instead just use the "Ian Knot" that I use to tie my shoes. It's very quick, I already use it all the time anyhow, and it rarely goes wrong. (Sometimes, I think I end up with an end through a loop accidentally, and have to fix it.) Learning this extra knot di…

not the ian secure knot?

I find that the Ian Knot almost never comes undone on its own for me. Shoes, shorts, whatever. It's been great for like a decade now. I haven't been motivated to find anything better.

Re: A better way to tie gym shorts (or any drawstring) [video]

#183

Post by archon810 »

argee wrote: post #129
throw101010 wrote: post #125

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ian's knot doesn't come undone easily if you do it the right way, many people learn it incorrectly when they are young and never revisit it... but they are making Granny knots instead: https://tokay-ultimate.com/blogs/infos/how-to-tie-your-laces It's even more noticeable/frequent with round laces so that's what makes me suspect you might be a victim of this.

You can read about why Ian made the new knot as an improvement over secure knots specifically here. [0] But hey, maybe Ian was unknowingly tying a Granny knot instead. ;) Comparison To Other Regular Shoelace Knots It was much easier to prove that Ian's Secure Shoelace Knot is more secure than any of the regular shoelace knots. Using a pair of shoes with round, slippery laces, I tied one with my Ian Knot and the other…

Ian's Knot V3_FINAL_2_R1.2.

Re: A better way to tie gym shorts (or any drawstring) [video]

#184

Post by josefresco »

O3marchnative wrote: post #116
josefresco wrote: post #108

Only knot I know and I use it frequently: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowline Knots are incredibly situational which makes learning a lot of them (through practice) difficult.

This one and the square knot are indispensable

I screw up the square knot constantly! It's not like I practice but each time I focus, try a few times and then just rage quit and tie 47 half-hitches.

Re: A better way to tie gym shorts (or any drawstring) [video]

#185

Post by josefresco »

aidenn0 wrote: post #127
josefresco wrote: post #108

Only knot I know and I use it frequently: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowline Knots are incredibly situational which makes learning a lot of them (through practice) difficult.

Bowline is inappropriate for anything that you need to apply tension to while tying (like your gym shorts).

That is correct and I really need to learn at least one tension knot.

Re: A better way to tie gym shorts (or any drawstring) [video]

#186

Post by seanhunter »

kordlessagain wrote: post #27
fylham wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Bowline, truckee’s hitch (the better alternative to a truckers hitch), prussick come to mind

The bowline has two variants, one being the cowboy version, which has the working bitter end on the outside of the loop, the "normal" bowline will have it on the inside of the loop. To tie a bowline, make a loop in the working bitter end up about 2x the desired circumference of the loop you want to make. Your line is now segmented into the bitter end, and the standing line section. Look at the loop. You want to put t…

When I was young I learned this cool trick to tie a bowline one-handed. Can’t remember who taught it to me but the idea is if you are hanging from a rope by your left hand, you can actually (with a bit of practise that you hopefully do beforehand) tie a loop around yourself with a bowline using your other hand. Moot in my case because there’s no way I could hold my weight using my left hand even if my life depended on it, but it’s a fun trick.

https://youtu.be/tHVjMWTPx-A?is=dftRVkzz67Il1I-Q

Re: A better way to tie gym shorts (or any drawstring) [video]

#187

Post by rahimnathwani »

throw101010 wrote: post #125
argee wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you have round laces, Ian’s knot reliably comes undone. Ian’s secure shoelace knot is better in that case, though it’s slightly slower and trickier to do. The double Ian knot is interesting too, but it (and several other alternatives) won’t have the “pull just once to untie” mechanic.

Ian's knot doesn't come undone easily if you do it the right way, many people learn it incorrectly when they are young and never revisit it... but they are making Granny knots instead: https://tokay-ultimate.com/blogs/infos/how-to-tie-your-laces It's even more noticeable/frequent with round laces so that's what makes me suspect you might be a victim of this.

I think for most adults avoiding a granny knot is enough. But my son is not yet 10yo and he often has untied shoes at the end of the day.

I've even tried tying his shoes myself (so I know both the knots are pulled really tight, and that the loose ends are the same length as the bows). Even so, somehow the ends get pulled hard enough that they end up undone.

(Somehow for him even the Ian secure knot doesn't guarantee a full day without laces coming undone.)

Re: A better way to tie gym shorts (or any drawstring) [video]

#188

Post by __MatrixMan__ »

SAI_Peregrinus wrote: post #82
__MatrixMan__ wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ever since I was a scout in the 90s I've been considering how to get in contact with them about discouraging use of the square knot. The way that loading it crosswise causes it to shift into a double half hitch, turning from a "hold fast" knot to a slipknot... That's funky behavior and should disqualify it from being among the first few knots people learn. If you're using it for its advertised purpose, it's downright…

The reef knot (square knot in Scouts lingo) is a good binding knot. It's a terrible bend. Scouts teach it as a bend, for some idiotic reason. Reefing a sail or tying a parcel, a reef knot the role will fulfill. But joining two ends one should only use bends, And a reef knot's a sure way to kill. ⸻Stuart Grainger, ex-Master Mariner, 1985. Referenced from "The Complete Book of Knots" by Geoffrey Budworth.

Oh good find. It's nice to know I'm not the only one who has had this thought.

But since modern sailboats don't require knots for reefing, and modern parcels don't require tying, I think the use cases for a square knot are now pretty narrow.

Some times I use them to finish off some lashing because they can be easily tied while keeping tension, but that's about it. It's just not qualified for to be the first knot we teach a tenderfoot.

Re: A better way to tie gym shorts (or any drawstring) [video]

#189

Post by SAI_Peregrinus »

__MatrixMan__ wrote: post #188
SAI_Peregrinus wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The reef knot (square knot in Scouts lingo) is a good binding knot. It's a terrible bend. Scouts teach it as a bend, for some idiotic reason. Reefing a sail or tying a parcel, a reef knot the role will fulfill. But joining two ends one should only use bends, And a reef knot's a sure way to kill. ⸻Stuart Grainger, ex-Master Mariner, 1985. Referenced from "The Complete Book of Knots" by Geoffrey Budworth.

Oh good find. It's nice to know I'm not the only one who has had this thought. But since modern sailboats don't require knots for reefing, and modern parcels don't require tying, I think the use cases for a square knot are now pretty narrow. Some times I use them to finish off some lashing because they can be easily tied while keeping tension, but that's about it. It's just not qualified for to be the first knot we t…

The double-slipped reef knot is a pretty nice shoelace knot. I prefer a more secure variant (a different tying method of the Ian's Secure Shoelace Knot/Turquoise Turtle that's a bit easier for me), but pretty much every kid should learn the double-slipped reef first. Scouts should already know it before they join!

Re: A better way to tie gym shorts (or any drawstring) [video]

#190

Post by O3marchnative »

josefresco wrote: post #184
O3marchnative wrote: post #116

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This one and the square knot are indispensable

I screw up the square knot constantly! It's not like I practice but each time I focus, try a few times and then just rage quit and tie 47 half-hitches.

I always remember it as the opposite of what I think is typically called the granny knot. In the case of the square knot, it's just right over left, then left over right.
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