You in all probability realized to tie your footwear as a child and haven’t given the tactic of tying a second thought since then. But in case your footwear are at all times coming untied, possibly we should always revisit that shoe-tying lesson. You see, there are two methods to tie the usual shoelace knot, and solely one among them will maintain reliably
How shoe-tying works
No matter how you kind the knot—the Big Loops methodology, the Cheerio methodology, the Ian Knot, or the no-name model I realized the place you make one loop after which wrap the opposite strand round it—you’re forming the identical fundamental factor. That factor is: two overhand knots, one proper on prime of the opposite.
An overhand knot is the primary type you tie, earlier than you do the factor that finally ends up with loops. To make an overhand knot, you simply cross the 2 strands—proper over left, let’s say—and tuck one strand beneath that cross.
The second step in tying your footwear additionally makes an overhand knot. It’s simply that you simply kind this knot with a doubled loop of the shoelace as a substitute of with a single strand. If you employ the “big loops” or “bunny ears” methodology, that is fairly apparent. If not, properly, simply know that that is what finally ends up occurring ultimately. (The doubling over is simply to make it a quick-release knot, so that you don’t should dig your fingernails right into a tightened knot simply to take your footwear off every evening.)
Since you’re stacking two overhand knots on prime of one another, you’re successfully making a sq. knot. Or a granny knot. Which one you get will depend on how precisely you tied it.
The distinction between a sq. knot and a granny knot
Let’s ignore the loops in our shoelaces, for the second, and speak about what occurs while you stack two overhand knots.
You start the knot by crossing the 2 strands: both proper over left or left over proper. Either method is ok.
If you cross the second overhand knot the reverse method, you make a sq. knot, which locks the 2 strands tightly collectively.
If you cross the second overhand knot the similar method as the primary, you make a granny knot, which can simply slip out.
To evaluation:
- Right over left, then left over proper: sq. knot, good.
- Left over proper, then proper over left: nonetheless a sq. knot, nonetheless good.
- Right over left, then proper over left once more: granny knot, vulnerable to slipping.
- Left over proper, then left over proper once more: one other granny knot!
This video reveals the distinction between a sq. knot and a granny knot:
How to know for those who’ve tied your footwear flawed
So, let’s say you tie your footwear with the bunny ear methodology. First you do an overhand knot, proper over left; you then make the bunny ears. If you cross the fitting bunny ear over the left, you’ll make a granny knot and your footwear will at all times be working free. If you tie the bunny ears left over proper, you’ll get a safe sq. knot.
There’s one other telltale signal of a granny knot, moreover the untying: a granny knot is crooked. The bow in your shoe could have one loop pointing towards your ankle and the opposite pointing towards your toe. A shoe tied with a sq. knot could have the 2 sides of the bow pointing to the perimeters of your shoe.
This applies to any time you need to tie two overhand knots. Securing a bandana round your head? Right over left, then left over proper. Tying a trash bag closed? Right over left, then left over proper. You get the thought. A bow tie? Same deal as your footwear, a considerably fussy process that finally ends up as a sq. knot for those who did it proper.
If you employ a granny knot and may’t work out the way to make a bow going the opposite course, simply change the best way you do your preliminary overhand knot after which tie the bow the best way you at all times do. So for those who usually begin with proper over left, simply ensure to do left over proper after which tie your bow usually.
Finally, there’s a saying amongst sailors and different outdoorspeople: “If you can’t tie a knot, tie a lot.” That implies that for those who can’t work out the way to make a correct sq. knot, the subsequent smartest thing is to take your looped laces and double-tie them. You know, such as you did while you had been a child and couldn’t preserve your footwear tied. That trick nonetheless works as we speak.