Ian Fieggen Ian's Shoelace Site Ian's Shoelace Knot
Ian's Shoelace Site - Bringing you the fun, fashion & science of shoelaces
Double Lacing
Another way of ending up with two colors is to interweave two laces up the shoe, ending up with four lace ends, which can then be tied creatively.
The four ends of the two shoelaces end up at the top of the shoe.
Double Lacing diagram
Double Lacing picture 1
Double Lacing picture 2
The colorful new sneakers that we bought for my partner, Inge, came with Double Lacing!
More Lacing Photos
Lacing Technique:
1. Start with two different colored laces, each shorter than the original laces from that shoe.

2. Feed one shoelace (purple in my diagram) straight across the bottom and emerge through the bottom two eyelets.

3. Cross the ends over and, skipping one set of eyelets, feed under and emerge through the third set of eyelets.

4. Continue crossing over and going up two sets of eyelets at a time until you reach either the top or second from top set of eyelets.

5. Take the second shoelace (orange in my diagram) and, starting from the second set of eyelets, lace through the remaining eyelets (every second pair).


Features:
Decorative look
Creative options
Needs new laces

Comparative Length (each lace) = 57%
Laced area uses less (about −43%)
Shorter laces needed (about −20%)
Lengthens lace ends (about +39%)
More details


NOTE:
If your shoes have odd numbers of eyelet pairs (eg. 7 pairs = 14 eyelets), one lace will pass through more eyelets than the other. The two laces will therefore need to be different Lengths.
Tying Off:
When finished, this method ends up with four lace ends at the top of the shoe. Here's where you have plenty of creative options for tying your shoes:
    Double Lacing finished with two bows, either across the shoe or up the shoe
  • Tie two knots, one using the ends across the top set of eyelets, the other with the ends across the second from top set of eyelets.
  • Tie two knots, only instead of tying across the shoe, tie them up the shoe - one knot on the left side using the two left ends and the other knot on the right side using the two right ends.

    Double Lacing finished with either a double bow or with two ends tucked in
  • Take the two ends at each side and hold them together like a single lace, then tie only one knot using those double-thickness laces. (Works best with flat laces).
  • Tie only the top ends, whilst the second from top ends are simply tucked into the shoe.

These are only some of the possibilities. Your only limit is your imagination and your definitions of "decorative" and "messy".
Double Lacing variation Variations:
The above technique is effectively a double variation of Criss Cross Lacing, which is only one of several lacing methods that work well with two different colored laces. Several other lacing methods apply themselves equally well to Double Lacing, such as this double variation of Hash Lacing (see photo at right), which can even be woven to look like a bi-color Lattice Lacing..

In most cases, you can turn a normal lacing method into a double lacing method by following the instructions for one lace using the odd numbered pairs of eyelets (ie. 1st, 3rd, 5th pair), then the other lace using the even numbered eyelet pairs (ie. 2nd, 4th, 6th pair, etc).

Here's a list of lacing methods that combine well with Double Lacing: Here's some photos that visitors have sent of double lacing variations:
(Click any of the following photos to view an enlargement on the Lacing Photos page).
Double Lacing variation 1 Double Lacing variation 2 Double Lacing variation 3 Double Lacing variation 4 Double Lacing variation 5 Double Lacing variation 6 Double Lacing variation 7

Rate This Lacing Method
5 stars (excellent) StarStarStarStarStar
Click button to submit rating & view results.
Or, Click Here to view results without rating this lacing method.
4 stars (good) StarStarStarStar
3 stars (average) StarStarStar
2 stars (bad) StarStar
1 star (awful) Star

Please only vote once - multiple votes are removed daily

Sponsor's ADs


This page last updated: 10-Jun-2009. Copyright © 2004-2009 by Ian W. Fieggen. All rights reserved.
Ian's Book
Click for more details of Ian's Book, 'Laces'
Ian's Book, "Laces"
Limited numbers of remaining signed copies available directly from Ian.
More details
Sponsored Links
Click to buy Flibbers and charm your laces!
Flibbers
Clip shoe charms like Jibbitz™ onto your shoelaces with Flibbers.
flibbers.com
Click to buy Mr. Lacy shoelaces
Shoelaces
Quality shoelaces in various styles and a huge range of fashion colors.
mr-lacy.com