Shoelace Knots and Bows

schematic

Standard Bow (Square Knot Finish)

The standard bow is a starting knot followed by a loop and wrap. Tied correctly it forms a square knot and sits horizontally across the shoe. Tied the wrong way round it forms a granny knot and slips.

Best for: Everyday, correctly balanced

Steps

1. Cross left over right and pull one end under to make the starting knot.
2. Form a loop with the right lace.
3. Wrap the left lace around it in the opposite direction to the starting cross.
4. Push it through and pull both loops tight.

Tip
If your bow sits diagonally along the shoe, you have tied a granny. Reverse the starting cross.

schematic

Granny Knot (and How to Fix It)

A granny knot is a bow where the starting knot and the bow are wrapped in the same direction. It sits vertically along the shoe and works loose within an hour of walking.

Best for: The knot most people tie by accident

Steps

1. Check which way your bow sits: across the shoe is correct, along the shoe is a granny.
2. Keep tying the starting knot exactly as you always have.
3. Reverse the direction you wrap the bow.
4. The bow should now sit square across the shoe.

Tip
This one change fixes most 'my laces always come undone' complaints, with no new technique to learn.

schematic

Ian Knot

The Ian Knot forms both loops simultaneously and pulls them through each other in one motion. It produces an identical square-knot bow to the standard method in roughly half the time.

Best for: The fastest way to tie a standard bow

Steps

1. Tie the starting knot as normal.
2. Make a loop in each hand, one pointing forward and one back.
3. Pass each loop through the gap beside the other in opposite directions.
4. Pull both loops apart to set the knot.

Tip
It takes about a hundred repetitions to become faster than your old method. Then it stays faster.

schematic

Ian's Secure Knot

Ian's Secure Knot adds an extra pass of each loop through the centre, producing a bow that holds far better than a double knot yet still releases with a single pull on the ends.

Best for: A bow that genuinely will not come undone

Steps

1. Tie the starting knot.
2. Form both loops and pass each around the other twice instead of once.
3. Pull the loops apart carefully to seat the knot.
4. Check it releases cleanly when you pull the tails.

Tip
The best option for slippery round laces. Far better than double knotting, which jams.

schematic

Surgeon's Knot Finish

A surgeon's knot finish adds a second wrap to the starting knot before making the bow, so the base cannot loosen while your hands are busy forming the loops.

Best for: Locking the starting knot

Steps

1. Cross the laces and pass one end under the other twice, not once.
2. Pull tight; the double wrap will grip and hold.
3. Form the bow as normal on top of it.
4. Pull the bow snug.

Tip
Solves the problem where the shoe loosens between the starting knot and the bow.

schematic

Double Knot

A double knot ties a second overhand knot in the two loops of a finished bow. It holds, but it jams under tension and can be genuinely difficult to release with cold hands.

Best for: The brute-force option

Steps

1. Tie a standard bow.
2. Cross the two loops and pass one under the other.
3. Pull snug.
4. Leave the tails accessible so you can work the knot loose.

Tip
Prefer Ian's Secure Knot. Same holding power, releases with one pull instead of picking at it.

schematic

Berluti Knot

The Berluti knot is a decorative dress-shoe bow that wraps the tails around the bow itself, producing a compact, symmetrical result that sits flat on a formal shoe.

Best for: A decorative finish on dress shoes

Steps

1. Tie a standard square-knot bow, slightly loose.
2. Wrap each tail once around the base of the bow in opposite directions.
3. Tuck each tail under the wrap.
4. Adjust until the bow is symmetrical and flat.

Tip
Only works with thin waxed dress laces. Athletic flats are far too bulky.

schematic

Turquoise Turtle Knot

The Turquoise Turtle knot passes each loop through the centre in a specific alternating order, producing one of the most slip-resistant bows that still releases on demand.

Best for: Maximum security on round laces

Steps

1. Tie a starting knot.
2. Form a loop with each hand.
3. Pass the right loop under and through, then the left loop over and through.
4. Pull apart firmly to seat.

Tip
Worth learning if you run in round-laced trail shoes and lose time retying.

schematic

Slipped Quick-Release Bow

A slipped quick-release bow leaves one tail long and one loop short, so a single hard pull on the long tail collapses the entire knot.

Best for: Boots you may need off quickly

Steps

1. Tie a standard bow with deliberately uneven tails.
2. Keep the long tail free and accessible.
3. Test that one pull fully releases the bow.
4. Tuck the short loop out of the way.

Tip
Used on fire and rescue boots. It will also come undone by accident more often.

schematic

Hidden Tuck Finish

The hidden tuck finish ties a small square knot and pushes it, along with both tails, down between the tongue and the shoe so nothing is visible from above.

Best for: No visible bow at all

Steps

1. Tie a compact square knot rather than a bow.
2. Push the knot down beside the tongue.
3. Tuck both tails in after it.
4. Smooth the tongue flat over the top.

Tip
Check the knot is not resting on the navicular bone or it will bruise on a long walk.