7 ms·

The "Ian Knot"[0] (which, I just discovered, was invented by the author of that site) is quite possibly the coolest and fastest way to tie your shoes. [0] - ht

by qwnp 5y ago

The "Ian Knot"[0] (which, I just discovered, was invented by the author of that site) is quite possibly the coolest and fastest way to tie your shoes. [0] - https://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/ianknot.htm https://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/ianknot.htm

flatline 5y ago
That would not work for me. I need to keep one finger on the slip knot at all times or it becomes loose, resulting in a very unsatisfying knot. This has been by far the biggest hurdle to teaching my kids to tie a decent knot in their shoelaces: they can move through the motions just fine but it's always loose. I actually start with my left index finger on the slip knot then transition to my right index finger halfway through - much more complicated than it at first seems.
- justinsaccount 5y ago
  what slip knot? I've been using the Ian knot for probably 10 years now, if anything it's easier to tie it tight since you can keep the tension on the first not held until the very end.
- pmahoney 5y ago
  Not sure if this would help, and I'm not exactly sure I'm understanding you correctly, but when I tie hockey stakes, instead of a single "left-over-right starting knot" (using terminology from the post), I wrap around two or even three times. This provides enough friction for that first knot to stay put while I tie the loops of the standard shoelace knot (not the Ian knot, with which I'm unfamiliar).
  - BoiledCabbage 5y ago
    Sounds like you do something similar to the surgeon's knot. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surgeon%27s_knot https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surgeon%27s_knot
    - deleted 5y ago
      [deleted]
- Kozmik1 5y ago
  Try the Surgeon's Knot instead: https://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/surgeonknot.htm https://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/surgeonknot.htm
- toxik 5y ago
  I keep the starting knot taught by simply keeping the ends tensioned at all times when tying. Re people saying the Ian knot doesn’t come undone: neither do my normal ones.
  - latortuga 5y ago
    The reason your knot does not come undone has nothing to do with tension and everything to do with the order of the way you tie it. Left over right, then right over left. If you learned the standard knot as a kid in the right order and continue to do it the same way today, then the Ian knot will tie the exact same knot. The only difference is that the Ian knot will wear your laces more evenly and it ties faster.
    - toxik 5y ago
      I didn’t mean that tension keeps my knots tied (though clearly some tension is necessary), it was two separate replies — and I’m pretty sure I make granny knots. Eh maybe knot.
    - labawi 5y ago
      Knots I've tied Ian's way are the most taut, precisely because I have no issue applying tension all the way, instead of the old method with switching hands and stuff, where that was impossible. If you're doing it right, the result is not like keeping a finger on the slipknot - it's better (and simpler, faster and as taut as you want).
- aidos 5y ago
  I keep one of my ringfingers (specifically left hand) on the overhand (starter) knot while I thread the other bits. Works a treat.
- jimbob45 5y ago
  This is my issue and the sole reason I haven’t adopted the Ian knot. I didn’t realize it but I do the same finger swap that you do. I’m a runner and it’s important for my laces to be exactly as tight as I need them to be. I’m wondering if others here aren’t as exacting with their knot tension needs.
- biryani_chicken 5y ago
  With the Secure Ian's knot, I keep the slip knot loose and only strengthen the other one against that one. It stays firm and my shoe stays comfortable.
- pydave 5y ago
  I use a similar technique to the Ian knot except I pinch the shoelace instead so only the forefinger and pinky are involved and my middle finger is free to hold the slip knot. The technique I use looks like this: https://youtu.be/_aAeI7p-Tkc?t=11 https://youtu.be/_aAeI7p-Tkc?t=11
throwawayboise 5y ago
Tried that knot and aside from taking several minutes for me to figure it out, it didn't seem to result in a knot that held very well. I'll stick with the standard way I learned 40 years ago and can do without thinking.
- fastball 5y ago
  The end knot is identical to the standard bowknot, so it seems unlikely that this would hold any worse. If you're currently tying your shoes in a granny knot, I would be very surprised if that held better than a bowknot. I've used this method to tie all my shoes for more than a decade and it holds much better than the granny knot, which I'd guess is probably 50% of people (as whether not you end up with a granny or a bow knot is just the toss of a coin). The benefit of Ian's tying method is that it is impossible to end up with a granny knot. My shoes never* come untied, without needing to resort to a "double-knot". * Except my Sperry Docksiders, which have leather laces and don't seem to keep any kind of knot very well.
  - throwawayboise 5y ago
    My regular shoes have round laces, I'd guess they are nylon, some kind of synthetic fiber. Sort of slippery. Never have a problem with them coming untied if I pull the knot tight though. I don't double knot. Maybe I did the Ian knot wrong. Don't have a problem with the knot I use so not investigating further.
    - Sohcahtoa82 5y ago
      > My regular shoes have round laces, I don't know why anybody makes round laces, especially out of a material that slips. I have a pair of dress shoes that came with round laces. Even with a "correct" knot, even with double-knotting, they always came undone. I replaced the laces with standard flat laces. They might not look as good, but they look better than having to re-tie them every 30 minutes.
  - iandinwoodie 5y ago
    I actually switched to the Ian Knot specifically to handle the stiffer leather laces of boat shoes and boots. Previously, getting a knot in leather to hold was a miracle and I would slip the shoes on and off (causing unnecessary wear and tear) just to avoid disturbing the knot. The Ian Knot allows me to treat leather laces like any other material and has extended the life of several pairs of shoes as a result. I will say that I cinch the knot tighter with leather laces than any other material because, like you mentioned, they are fussy.
fastball 5y ago
This is how I've been tying my shoes for a while and can recommend! Unfortunately I did not learn it from the inventor's website but rather from this site[1], which may be a total knockoff or may be a case of "parallel thinking". [1] https://freedomknot.com/ https://freedomknot.com/
- andrewzah 5y ago
  I learned it from a 3-min TED talk [0]. I didn't realize it had a proper name. [0]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAFcV7zuUDA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAFcV7zuUDA
  - fastball 5y ago
    Well so either way the "proper" way is to end up with a bowknot, as demonstrated. However, the TED talk's method of getting there I would actually classify as wrong. If you want to use the "bunny rabbit" method, the easiest way to turn your granny into a bow is just to switch which way you tie the laces over each other at the beginning – that is much easier than trying to invert the bunny ear thingy. However, the even easier way (and what GC was pointing out) is the "Ian" method, where you pull the bows through each other simultaneously, which (with practice) is faster and always guarantees a bow knot.
- CRConrad 5y ago
  "Copyright © 2012 FreedomKnot" Mr Fieggen's site is a lot older than that, so possibly "parallel thinking"... But because of the cutesy story, cheesy layout, and above all, "Freedom Fries!" name, I'll go with knock-off.
leephillips 5y ago
After I stumbled upon this site years ago, the Ian knot is how I tie my shoes every time. The hardest part about this knot is making sure that somebody is watching while you do it. Every time I tie my shoes alone, I feel an upwelling of regret, as if there has been an opportunity lost.
- zikzak 5y ago
  There is a special t-shirt folding method with this same property.
  - leephillips 5y ago
    I have seen this done but have never learned it.
  - burlesona 5y ago
    Link? I'd love to see / learn this.
    - snypher 5y ago
      Probably something like this method; https://youtu.be/uz6rjbw0ZA0 https://youtu.be/uz6rjbw0ZA0
      - leephillips 5y ago
        Now what about folding fitted sheets? That’s guru-level.
        Groxx 5y ago
        Given a clockwise counting of corners, with the "outside" facing away from you (so you are looking at / reaching "into" the sheets from the elastic side): grab the inside of 2, invert, shove into the inside of 1. do the same for 3 into 4. now you have a sheet folded in half, with two pairs of corners together. grab the inside of 1+2, invert, shove into the inside of 3+4. now it's folded to a quarter, and all the messy stuff is together. lay out flat, straighten messy stuff a bit, so you can do the next step more easily. grab the whole thing, chuck into the closet.
hultner 5y ago
I’m not sure if it was “invented” by the author, I’ve been doing the same knot for 30 years. We call it rå-bands-knop (raw-strings-knot would be a literal translation) and I believe most kids here learn it at an early age.
- alephu5 5y ago
  I've also noticed that in Colombia they always tie plastic bags with this technique. Even in supermarkets, making them harder to carry.
- CRConrad 5y ago
  Råbandsknop is the same as square knot; granny knot (kärringknut) but the right way around. As shoelace knots, (rosetter) both are of course "slipped". The "Ian knot" that people are discussing is neither square nor granny knot in and of itself, but how you make it: The technique of having a loose loop in each hand and "pulling both through each other", which is much faster than tbe "ordinary" ways of making each that he presents on each separate knot's page. Topologically it results in the exact same end result: Do it the right way around and you get a square knot; the wrong way, a granny knot. A bit weird of the tomtenisse to link to that exact page of the site; granny knot / kärringknut is the absolute worst result you could end up with. The whole site is pretty much about how to avoid ending up with one. (OK, slight exaggeration there.)
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
jerrygoyal 5y ago
thanks. learnt it (Ian knot) in few minutes. curious if there's also a quick way to untie this knot.

by qwnp 5y ago

flatline 5y ago

That would not work for me. I need to keep one finger on the slip knot at all times or it becomes loose, resulting in a very unsatisfying knot. This has been by far the biggest hurdle to teaching my kids to tie a decent knot in their shoelaces: they can move through the motions just fine but it's always loose. I actually start with my left index finger on the slip knot then transition to my right index finger halfway through - much more complicated than it at first seems.

justinsaccount 5y ago
what slip knot? I've been using the Ian knot for probably 10 years now, if anything it's easier to tie it tight since you can keep the tension on the first not held until the very end.
pmahoney 5y ago
Not sure if this would help, and I'm not exactly sure I'm understanding you correctly, but when I tie hockey stakes, instead of a single "left-over-right starting knot" (using terminology from the post), I wrap around two or even three times. This provides enough friction for that first knot to stay put while I tie the loops of the standard shoelace knot (not the Ian knot, with which I'm unfamiliar).
- BoiledCabbage 5y ago
  Sounds like you do something similar to the surgeon's knot. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surgeon%27s_knot https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surgeon%27s_knot
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
Kozmik1 5y ago
Try the Surgeon's Knot instead: https://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/surgeonknot.htm https://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/surgeonknot.htm
toxik 5y ago
I keep the starting knot taught by simply keeping the ends tensioned at all times when tying. Re people saying the Ian knot doesn’t come undone: neither do my normal ones.
- latortuga 5y ago
  The reason your knot does not come undone has nothing to do with tension and everything to do with the order of the way you tie it. Left over right, then right over left. If you learned the standard knot as a kid in the right order and continue to do it the same way today, then the Ian knot will tie the exact same knot. The only difference is that the Ian knot will wear your laces more evenly and it ties faster.
  - toxik 5y ago
    I didn’t mean that tension keeps my knots tied (though clearly some tension is necessary), it was two separate replies — and I’m pretty sure I make granny knots. Eh maybe knot.
  - labawi 5y ago
    Knots I've tied Ian's way are the most taut, precisely because I have no issue applying tension all the way, instead of the old method with switching hands and stuff, where that was impossible. If you're doing it right, the result is not like keeping a finger on the slipknot - it's better (and simpler, faster and as taut as you want).
aidos 5y ago
I keep one of my ringfingers (specifically left hand) on the overhand (starter) knot while I thread the other bits. Works a treat.
jimbob45 5y ago
This is my issue and the sole reason I haven’t adopted the Ian knot. I didn’t realize it but I do the same finger swap that you do. I’m a runner and it’s important for my laces to be exactly as tight as I need them to be. I’m wondering if others here aren’t as exacting with their knot tension needs.
biryani_chicken 5y ago
With the Secure Ian's knot, I keep the slip knot loose and only strengthen the other one against that one. It stays firm and my shoe stays comfortable.
pydave 5y ago
I use a similar technique to the Ian knot except I pinch the shoelace instead so only the forefinger and pinky are involved and my middle finger is free to hold the slip knot. The technique I use looks like this: https://youtu.be/_aAeI7p-Tkc?t=11 https://youtu.be/_aAeI7p-Tkc?t=11

throwawayboise 5y ago

Tried that knot and aside from taking several minutes for me to figure it out, it didn't seem to result in a knot that held very well. I'll stick with the standard way I learned 40 years ago and can do without thinking.

fastball 5y ago
The end knot is identical to the standard bowknot, so it seems unlikely that this would hold any worse. If you're currently tying your shoes in a granny knot, I would be very surprised if that held better than a bowknot. I've used this method to tie all my shoes for more than a decade and it holds much better than the granny knot, which I'd guess is probably 50% of people (as whether not you end up with a granny or a bow knot is just the toss of a coin). The benefit of Ian's tying method is that it is impossible to end up with a granny knot. My shoes never* come untied, without needing to resort to a "double-knot". * Except my Sperry Docksiders, which have leather laces and don't seem to keep any kind of knot very well.
- throwawayboise 5y ago
  My regular shoes have round laces, I'd guess they are nylon, some kind of synthetic fiber. Sort of slippery. Never have a problem with them coming untied if I pull the knot tight though. I don't double knot. Maybe I did the Ian knot wrong. Don't have a problem with the knot I use so not investigating further.
  - Sohcahtoa82 5y ago
    > My regular shoes have round laces, I don't know why anybody makes round laces, especially out of a material that slips. I have a pair of dress shoes that came with round laces. Even with a "correct" knot, even with double-knotting, they always came undone. I replaced the laces with standard flat laces. They might not look as good, but they look better than having to re-tie them every 30 minutes.
- iandinwoodie 5y ago
  I actually switched to the Ian Knot specifically to handle the stiffer leather laces of boat shoes and boots. Previously, getting a knot in leather to hold was a miracle and I would slip the shoes on and off (causing unnecessary wear and tear) just to avoid disturbing the knot. The Ian Knot allows me to treat leather laces like any other material and has extended the life of several pairs of shoes as a result. I will say that I cinch the knot tighter with leather laces than any other material because, like you mentioned, they are fussy.

fastball 5y ago

This is how I've been tying my shoes for a while and can recommend! Unfortunately I did not learn it from the inventor's website but rather from this site[1], which may be a total knockoff or may be a case of "parallel thinking". [1] https://freedomknot.com/ https://freedomknot.com/

andrewzah 5y ago
I learned it from a 3-min TED talk [0]. I didn't realize it had a proper name. [0]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAFcV7zuUDA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAFcV7zuUDA
- fastball 5y ago
  Well so either way the "proper" way is to end up with a bowknot, as demonstrated. However, the TED talk's method of getting there I would actually classify as wrong. If you want to use the "bunny rabbit" method, the easiest way to turn your granny into a bow is just to switch which way you tie the laces over each other at the beginning – that is much easier than trying to invert the bunny ear thingy. However, the even easier way (and what GC was pointing out) is the "Ian" method, where you pull the bows through each other simultaneously, which (with practice) is faster and always guarantees a bow knot.
CRConrad 5y ago
"Copyright © 2012 FreedomKnot" Mr Fieggen's site is a lot older than that, so possibly "parallel thinking"... But because of the cutesy story, cheesy layout, and above all, "Freedom Fries!" name, I'll go with knock-off.

leephillips 5y ago

After I stumbled upon this site years ago, the Ian knot is how I tie my shoes every time. The hardest part about this knot is making sure that somebody is watching while you do it. Every time I tie my shoes alone, I feel an upwelling of regret, as if there has been an opportunity lost.

zikzak 5y ago
There is a special t-shirt folding method with this same property.
- leephillips 5y ago
  I have seen this done but have never learned it.
- burlesona 5y ago
  Link? I'd love to see / learn this.
  - snypher 5y ago
    Probably something like this method; https://youtu.be/uz6rjbw0ZA0 https://youtu.be/uz6rjbw0ZA0
    - leephillips 5y ago
      Now what about folding fitted sheets? That’s guru-level.
      - Groxx 5y ago
        Given a clockwise counting of corners, with the "outside" facing away from you (so you are looking at / reaching "into" the sheets from the elastic side): grab the inside of 2, invert, shove into the inside of 1. do the same for 3 into 4. now you have a sheet folded in half, with two pairs of corners together. grab the inside of 1+2, invert, shove into the inside of 3+4. now it's folded to a quarter, and all the messy stuff is together. lay out flat, straighten messy stuff a bit, so you can do the next step more easily. grab the whole thing, chuck into the closet.

hultner 5y ago

I’m not sure if it was “invented” by the author, I’ve been doing the same knot for 30 years. We call it rå-bands-knop (raw-strings-knot would be a literal translation) and I believe most kids here learn it at an early age.

alephu5 5y ago
I've also noticed that in Colombia they always tie plastic bags with this technique. Even in supermarkets, making them harder to carry.
CRConrad 5y ago
Råbandsknop is the same as square knot; granny knot (kärringknut) but the right way around. As shoelace knots, (rosetter) both are of course "slipped". The "Ian knot" that people are discussing is neither square nor granny knot in and of itself, but how you make it: The technique of having a loose loop in each hand and "pulling both through each other", which is much faster than tbe "ordinary" ways of making each that he presents on each separate knot's page. Topologically it results in the exact same end result: Do it the right way around and you get a square knot; the wrong way, a granny knot. A bit weird of the tomtenisse to link to that exact page of the site; granny knot / kärringknut is the absolute worst result you could end up with. The whole site is pretty much about how to avoid ending up with one. (OK, slight exaggeration there.)

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

jerrygoyal 5y ago

thanks. learnt it (Ian knot) in few minutes. curious if there's also a quick way to untie this knot.