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"Better Bow" Shoelace Knot
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Another secure knot variation, again based on looping around more than once: Begin as for a
Standard Shoelace Knot, only loop around twice before pulling through the loops thus made.
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Step 1:

Tie a Left-over-Right
Starting Knot as shown, then make the right (blue) lace into a "loop" by simply
doubling it back onto itself.
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Step 2:

Take the left (yellow) lace and pass it around to the right, going
behind the right loop.
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Step 3:

Continue the left (yellow) lace
around the right loop to end up in front. Up to this point, the knot is
exactly the same as the
Standard Shoelace Knot.
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Step 4:

Unlike the
Standard Shoelace Knot, pass the left (yellow) lace around the back of the right (blue) loop for the second
time.
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Step 5:

Continue the left (yellow) lace
around the right loop to end up in front for the second time.
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Step 6:

The tricky part is to now feed the left (yellow) lace through the loop thus made.
See below for a tip on how to make this a little easier.
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Step 7:

Keep feeding the left (yellow) lace through until a loop emerges on the right side.
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Step 8:

Now, simply pull the loops to tighten the knot. Like my
Ian's Secure Shoelace Knot, the whole twisted mess of the previous drawing will rearrange itself into a neat
finished knot.
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Finished Knot
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The finished knot should be a tight, closed knot with a double wrap around the middle, as compared to the single
wrap of either my
Ian Knot or any
Standard Shoelace Knot. |
My
Ian's Secure Shoelace Knot is an improvement on this knot that is somewhat easier to tie and ends up as a
symmetrical finished knot.
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Technical Details
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Tying Tips:
The recommended method of creating this knot is to do Steps (3) through (5) with the right forefinger sitting
alongside the right (blue) loop. When the left (yellow) lace is wrapped around the right (blue) loop, it is also
wrapped around the right forefinger. At Step (6), withdraw the finger, feeding the left (yellow) lace into the
hole where the finger was. The finger helps keep the loops open, but withdrawing the finger and feeding the lace
through is still quite tricky!
As an alternative, the right thumb can be used instead of the forefinger, as the extra thickness creates larger
loops through which to feed the lace. Better still, wrap the loops around the tips of the thumb and two fingers
that are holding the right loop. At Step (6), when the left (yellow) lace is fed through the loops, those
fingertips can grab the lace and pull it through.
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Variations:
Steps (4) and (5) can be repeated several times to wrap the left (yellow) end multiple times around the right
(blue) loop. This is useful for consuming excess shoelace.
Note that this variation only reduces the length of one end. If you want the knot to finish up even, you'll have
to start with the ends uneven. In this case, the yellow end, which starts on the right side, should be longer.
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This page last updated: 08-May-2010. Copyright © 2004-2010 by
Ian W. Fieggen. All rights reserved.
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