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Hidden Knot Lacing
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By hiding the knot underneath, the result is an uninterrupted series of straight "bars" that looks particularly
distinctive on dress shoes or sneakers alike.
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Diagram for 8 pairs of eyelets
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Lacing Technique:
• Begin straight across on the outside (grey section) and in through the bottom eyelets.
• The left (blue) end runs straight up on the inside, then straight across on the outside.
• Both ends run straight up on the inside, each skipping one eyelet and emerging two eyelets higher up.
• Both ends continue straight across on the outside and in through the adjacent eyelets.
• Alternate running up on the inside and across on the outside until the ends meet between the top eyelet and second
eyelet from the top.
• Carefully tie the knot
inside the shoe at that point. This can either be tied with a
Standard Shoelace Knot or with a simpler knot like a
Reef Knot (as shown in the diagram at left). • Finally, tuck the ends into the shoe.
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Notes:
Any discomfort that may be caused by the knot and loose ends being tucked into the shoe can be reduced by
positioning the knot towards the outer side of the foot.
Note also that Hidden Knot Lacing only works correctly on shoes with
even numbers of eyelet pairs (eg. 8 pairs = 16 eyelets). This is because the lace must cross the
shoe an even number of times so that the ends will meet and can be tied together. On shoes with an
odd number of eyelet pairs (eg. 7 pairs = 14 eyelets), the lace ends finish diagonally opposite
each other at the top of the shoe.
Despite this limitation, Hidden Knot Lacing is VERY popular. This has led people to develop all sorts of ways to
get it to work on shoes with odd numbers of eyelet pairs.
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Sports / Military Advice:
Like other straight lacing methods, Hidden Knot Lacing has an additional benefit for sporting or military
use: The upper horizontal sections of shoelace can be quickly cut through with a knife or scissors in order to
more easily remove a boot from a broken, sprained or otherwise injured ankle or foot.
Note that most military forces have regulations for just about everything, so I'd recommend that military
personnel check before they adopt this, or any other, possible non-regulation lacing method!
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Features:
Distinctive look
Tricky to tie knot
Slight discomfort
28% longer ends (on average)
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Hidden Knot Lacing Gallery
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Grey Puma Bournes with Hidden Knot Lacing
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Hover over any photo to view details
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Shoelace Lengths for Hidden Knot Lacing
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Pairs of eyelets: |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
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Length needed: |
63 cm
25 inch |
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80 cm
31 inch |
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96 cm
38 inch |
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112 cm
44 inch |
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Lengths available: |
27" |
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27" |
36"
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36" |
40"
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45" |
Comparative Length:
Longer ends if existing shoelaces are re-used (+28% on average).
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Odd Workarounds
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As mentioned above, Hidden Knot Lacing only works correctly on shoes with
even numbers of eyelet pairs. On shoes with
odd numbers of eyelet pairs, the ends don't meet at the top, instead ending up diagonally across from each
other. Here's several common workarounds, using a shoe with seven pairs of eyelets as an example.
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Skip One Eyelet Pair
One solution is to simply not use either the top or the bottom pair of eyelets. Using only an even number of eyelet
pairs avoids the odd limitation.
It's also possible to skip a pair of eyelets somewhere in the middle, which breaks the lacing into two sections.
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One Diagonal
Use a single diagonal crossover somewhere in the lacing. This diagram shows the diagonal at the bottom. Near the middle
of the lacing, a diagonal may be positioned to line up with and run through a tongue centering loop (if the shoe has
one). The diagonal can even be run around the inside of the tongue, making it invisible at the expense of some slight
discomfort.
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One Crossover
Instead of trying to hide a single diagonal, this alternative makes a feature out of a single crossover, similar
to the look of Over Under Lacing. This crossover can be placed at either the top or bottom of the lacing, but
unlike the above "One Diagonal" variation, it cannot be placed in the middle of the lacing.
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Cut and Tie Off
Similar to the single diagonal shown above, the shoelace can be cut (where the diagonal would have been) and the
ends tied off on opposite sides of the shoe. In this diagram, the knotted ends are hidden underneath the bottom
left eyelet and the second from bottom right eyelet.
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Double Overlap
This unusual solution works by doubling up the laces through the second from bottom pair of eyelets. Because it's
near the bottom of the shoe, any difficulty with tightening this section is not so noticeable as the shoe doesn't
need to open wide at that point.
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Across and Back
The second from bottom straight section runs across left-to-right (on top), then right-to-left (underneath),
passing under itself on the left side. The underlying section is fairly well hidden by the straight section on
top.
This is the preferred method for dress shoes with three pairs of eyelets, with the lacing running across & back
under the middle pair of eyelets.
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_2013_by_Ian_Fieggen.gif "Lacing diagram")
