Ian's Shoelace Site

> I also have to admit that it’s really not the best for small knots or when having to knot with limited lace, mostly due to the required finger setup.

On the other hand, when the length of lace is limited and you need to maintain tension (e.g. wrapping gifts, tying ice skates) the Ian knot is better than many other methods. Although nobody ever asked, I imagine every onlooker is wondering how I can maintain tension in the lace without asking someone else to put a finger on the first overhand knot. It's because of my finger placement when I tie the knot!

I haven't mastered the Ian's knot (the super fast one) yet, but I've been tying the "Ian's Secure Knot" [1] for years. I try to teach parents on my kid's soccer team as well, because in my experience, half use the "standard shoelace knot" which is mediocre at staying tied, and the other half tie the granny version of the same, which comes out in about 5 minutes.

This seems very much like the kind of thing that a kid probably learns and is drilled on in late preschool in Japan, and given how much time must be wasted daily by even grown adults re-tying shoes it makes me wish we taught kids practical skills like this. (Yes, I know scouts learn knot-tying in general, but a lot of kids don't even get to do scouting).

P.S. to be honest, I've started buying and installing the sets of elastic laces with buckles (they're only a couple bucks) every time I get a new pair of shoes, so I don't tie shoes anymore, except for things like soccer cleats.

1. https://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/secureknot.htm

> The fix (whether you tie your bow using the regular way, bunny ears, or Ian Knot) is to reverse the direction of your initial knot.

Far too many people say that you need to reverse the direction of your main knot. This also works, of course, but it's way more difficult to unlearn then relearn the main knot. Far easier to change the direction of the initial knot. When I first learn the Ian Knot I quickly discovered I'd learnt it "backwards". So I reversed the initial knot and I've been tying it that way for close to 20 years now.

I use the two loop knot.. The beauty of this knot is that it doesnt come undone as easily and i can remove/wear my shoes without entying shoelaces. It has come undone only 3-4 times in past 2 years for me. Very effective

Ian's knot saved me some time in the past decade or so.

Is there a knot with two settings for tying and releasing? Releasing it to a point that allows taking off the shoe and pulling somewhere else to fix it firmly again?

It must be adjustable because laces get longer over time.