How To Tie A Shoe

104 patterns / 13 libraries / one shoe

Every way there is to lace a shoe

A working reference for shoelace patterns and knots. Each entry gives you a direct answer, four numbered steps and a schematic of the front face, so you can copy it onto your own shoe in about a minute. Sneakers, boots, dress shoes, skates and everything in between.

104 named patterns
13 libraries
2 boot libraries
4 steps each

Criss-cross

Straight bar

Ladder

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The three things most people are looking for

How to tie a shoe

The standard bow, done correctly, plus the granny-knot mistake that makes laces come undone and the two faster methods worth learning once.

Make a shoe stop hurting

Heel slip, numb toes, a bruised instep, bunions, a high arch. Nine lacing changes that move the pressure somewhere it does not hurt.

Make a shoe look different

Checkerboard, spider web, zipper, lattice, hexagram. Twelve display patterns and the lace lengths they actually need.

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The libraries

Browse by footwear

Reference

Before you re-lace

Shoelace types and materials

Flat, round, oval, waxed, elastic and leather. What each is for, what width fits which eyelet, and why waxed cotton holds a knot that nylon will not.

Shoelace length chart

Eyelet pairs to lace length, in inches and centimetres, with the adjustments decorative patterns need.

Shoe types and closure mechanisms

Eyelets, hooks, D-rings, speed lacing, BOA dials and hook-and-loop. What each closure changes about how you should lace.

Laces and gear worth buying

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Common questions

How do you tie a shoe?
Cross the two laces and pull one end under the other to make a starting knot. Form a loop with one lace, wrap the other lace around it in the opposite direction to your starting cross, push it through the gap and pull both loops tight. If the finished bow sits across the shoe you have tied a secure square knot. If it sits along the shoe you have tied a granny knot, which will work loose.
Why do my shoelaces keep coming undone?
Almost always because you are tying a granny knot rather than a square knot. Keep the starting knot exactly the same and reverse the direction you wrap the bow. If the laces are round nylon, switch to flat waxed cotton or use Ian's Secure Knot.
How many shoelace patterns are there?
This site documents 104 distinct lacing patterns and knots across 13 categories. The true number is effectively unlimited, because any sequence of eyelet crossings is a pattern, but these are the ones with names, established uses and a reason to exist.
What is the best lacing pattern for running shoes?
Criss-cross for the body of the shoe, finished with a heel lock through the offset top eyelet. That combination fixes heel slip without tightening the forefoot, and it is the single most useful change most runners can make to their shoes.
How do I lace shoes for wide feet?
Skip the crossings over the ball of the foot and run each lace end straight up its own side for the first two or three eyelet rows, then resume criss-cross above the forefoot. Add a heel lock so the foot does not slide forward into the now-looser toe box.
What length shoelaces do I need?
Count the eyelet pairs. Three pairs takes 27 in (69 cm), four pairs 36 in (91 cm), five pairs 45 in (114 cm), six pairs 45–54 in (114–137 cm), seven pairs 54 in (137 cm), eight pairs 63 in (160 cm) and nine or more pairs 72 in (183 cm). Decorative patterns need one size longer.
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