Ian's Shoelace Site - Slipping Shoelace Knots, Crooked Bows

Do your shoelaces always come undone? Do your shoelace bows sit vertically instead of across the shoe? If so, you're probably tying a "Granny Knot", and one simple change to your technique will result in a balanced knot that sits straight and stays secure.

This page explains the "Granny Knot" phenomenon in some detail. Put simply:

It's caused when the starting knot & finishing bow don't "balance" each other.
It can be spotted by the tendency of the bow to sit crooked (ie. heel to toe).
It's fixed by reversing one stage of the knot, most easily the starting knot.

What Causes a "Granny Knot"?
Balanced knot tied the right way	Shoelace knots are usually tied in two stages: A Starting Knot followed by a Finishing Bow. Each of these stages "twists" the shoelaces slightly, so it's important that the two stages be tied in opposite directions in order to cancel out each other's twists. This balances the knot both visually (the bow sits straight) and functionally (the knot stays tied) and is the right way to tie shoelaces.
Wrong way results in a "Granny Knot"	If both stages are tied in the same direction, those twists compound each other, resulting in an un-balanced knot that sits crooked and comes undone more easily. This is the wrong way to tie shoelaces, and is commonly known as a "Granny Knot" (or "Slip Knot").
Whilst there's only a subtle difference in tying technique, there's a big difference in security. This is not simply an "Old Wives Tale"; it's based on millennia of established knowledge. In fact, there's even a poem taught in Scouting, which goes something like: Right over left, left over right, Makes a knot both tidy and tight. The difference arises from the forces of friction on adjacent contact points within the finished knot. In simple terms, this means that in the balanced knot the adjacent bits pull in the same direction and actually tighten the knot. In the un-balanced "Granny Knot", the adjacent bits pull in opposite directions and tend to work the knot loose.

Spotting a "Granny Knot"
Balanced Shoelace Knot	Un-balanced "Granny Knot"
A properly tied shoelace bow should sit sideways across the shoe.	A wrongly tied shoelace bow invariably twists to point "heel-to-toe".
This rule doesn't just apply to shoelaces; crooked bows due to "Granny Knots" also happen on dresses, aprons, hair ribbons, wedding invitations, even bow ties, all of which use the same configuration as a Standard Shoelace Knot. Try tying your shoelace, then shake your shoe a bit and look at how your bow sits. If it's sitting crooked, I'd bet that your shoelaces are always coming undone!

Technical Description
Balanced Shoelace Knot	Un-balanced "Granny Knot"
In knotting terminology, this is known as a "Reef Knot" (or "Square Knot") with "drawstrings" (or "ripcords") (or simply a "Slipped Reef Knot")	In knotting terminology, this is known as a "Granny Knot" (or "Slip Knot") with "drawstrings" (or "ripcords") (or simply a "Slipped Granny Knot")
Whilst the knotting terminology may sound confusing, it does tell us that these shoelace knots have basically the same core structure as the well known rope knots called "Reef Knot" and "Granny Knot", with the only difference being the "drawstrings" (the ends that are pulled to undo them). These shoelace knots therefore share the same strengths and weaknesses as their rope counterparts, in particular the fact that "Granny Knots" easily come undone.

Which One is Yours?
This section lists all variations of the three most common knots: The Standard Shoelace Knot, the Two Loop Shoelace Knot plus my own "Ian Knot", all three of which form the identical finished knot if tied the right way (a "Slipped Reef Knot"). However, there's just as many "wrong ways" of tying them as there are "right ways", so there's a 50% chance that your method results in an un-balanced "Granny Knot".
Standard Shoelace Knot Right way = Balanced knot	Standard Shoelace Knot Wrong way = "Granny Knot"
Start: Left end over Right end & through Finish: Right loop, Left end around Back - OR - Start: Left end over Right end & through Finish: Left loop, Right end around Front - OR - Start: Right end over Left end & through Finish: Right loop, Left end around Front - OR - Start: Right end over Left end & through Finish: Left loop, Right end around Back	Start: Right end over Left end & through Finish: Right loop, Left end around Back - OR - Start: Right end over Left end & through Finish: Left loop, Right end around Front - OR - Start: Left end over Right end & through Finish: Right loop, Left end around Front - OR - Start: Left end over Right end & through Finish: Left loop, Right end around Back
Two Loop Shoelace Knot Right way = Balanced knot	Two Loop Shoelace Knot Wrong way = "Granny Knot"
Start: Left end over Right end & through Finish: Right loop over Left loop & through - OR - Start: Right end over Left end & through Finish: Left loop over Right loop & through	Start: Right end over Left end & through Finish: Right loop over Left loop & through - OR - Start: Left end over Right end & through Finish: Left loop over Right loop & through
"Ian Knot" Shoelace Knot Right way = Balanced knot	"Ian Knot" Shoelace Knot Wrong way = "Granny Knot"
Start: Left end over Right end & through Finish: Left end in front, Right end behind - OR - Start: Right end over Left end & through Finish: Left end behind, Right end in front	Start: Right end over Left end & through Finish: Left end in front, Right end behind - OR - Start: Left end over Right end & through Finish: Left end behind, Right end in front
Of the three methods, the Two Loop Shoelace Knot (or "Bunny Ears" method) is probably the biggest cause of "Granny Knots" because most people naturally tie the starting knot and finishing bow exactly the same way. This has given it a bad reputation as an inferior knot, whereas it's actually quite secure if tied correctly.

Note that any shoelace knot, even those considered "secure" shoelace knots, can end up crooked and less secure if tied wrongly.

Fixing an Un-balanced "Granny Knot"

Okay, so you've just realised that you've wasted your whole life tying and re-tying what turns out to be a "Granny Knot". Don't panic, the solution is as easy as the problem!

Simply reverse your Starting Knot!

Left-Over-Right starting knot

Right-Over-Left starting knot

In other words, if you currently tie your starting knot: "Left end over Right end & through", simply change it to: "Right end over Left end & through", or vice versa.

From the above table of variations, if your method is in the right side (red) of the table, the adjacent method in the left side (green) of the table corresponds to the identical method with a reversed starting knot.

You could also choose any of the variations from the left side (green) of the table, such as running around the back instead of around the front or vice versa, or changing left-handed movements to right-handed movements or vice versa. However, most people will find it easier to re-learn the starting knot than to re-learn the finishing bow.

Important Note for Parents / Teachers

If you ever re-tie a child's laces that have come partly undone, especially when re-tying shoelaces that were originally tied by someone else, make sure that you're not inadvertently creating a "Granny Knot"!

Suppose a child comes to you with laces where the finishing bow has come undone, yet the starting knot is still intact. Don't be tempted to take a short-cut! You should always undo and then re-tie their starting knot just in case theirs was tied the opposite way to yours. Otherwise, the end result could be a "Granny Knot", which will come undone again.

Kindergarten teachers and day care providers probably spend more time re-tying kids shoes than anyone else. It's important that they, of all people, know the correct way to tie shoes. They can also help enormously by learning to spot "Granny Knots" and teaching the child and/or their parents how to correct this problem.

Note that, like adults, some kids' shoelaces are prone to coming undone simply because the laces are too slippery. The solution is to either replace those laces with cotton ones or to adopt my Ian's Secure Shoelace Knot.

Conclusion

Hopefully this page has explained the "Granny Knot", has allowed you to identify whether or not you were tying one, and if so, has enabled you to choose a suitable solution. I also hope that you will keep your eyes open for others with crooked shoelace bows and will pass on this information to them.

See the Testimonials page to read the huge amount of feedback that I've received from others who have benefited from this advice.

Top of Page

Translate Menu