Shoelace

Other more secure knots

There are several more secure alternatives to the common shoelace bow, with names such as Turquoise Turtle Shoelace Knot, or Shoemaker's Knot, Better Bow Shoelace Knot, Surgeon's Shoelace Knot, and Ian's Secure Shoelace Knot, or double slip knot. One such knot has been patented in 1999 under the title "Shoelace tying system". These are all variations of the same concept of looping the top part of the knot twice instead of once, which results in a finished bow of almost identical appearance but with the laces wrapped twice around the middle. This double-wrap holds the shoelaces more securely tied while still allowing them to be untied with a (slightly firmer) pull on the loose end(s). Possibly the simplest, also neat and quite effective, is after tying a common bow to tie a half-hitch with one or other loose end around its adjacent half bow, close to the knot; it is untied by pulling on the other (unhitched) free end.