Ian's Shoelace Site - Introduction

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Welcome to Ian's Shoelace Site!

Fun, fashion & science in this quirky site about shoelaces. Whether you want to learn to lace shoes, tie shoelaces, stop shoelaces from coming undone, calculate shoelace lengths or even repair aglets, Ian's Shoelace Site has the answer!

You can find out more about this site, or you can dive right in below.

Table of Contents
	Lacing Shoes Are all of your shoes, sneakers and boots still laced up the way they were when you bought them? This section presents some of the many fascinating ways of lacing, either for different functions or just for appearances. Why not take the plunge? Whip out those laces and re-do them to suit your needs or personality.
	Tying Shoelaces Most people learn how to tie their shoelaces around the age of five. Why then would anyone older than that visit a web site about tying shoelaces? Whether you're a parent, teacher, occupational therapist, academic, knot enthusiast, or just after some self-help, there's something for you.
	Slipping Shoelaces? Do your shoelaces always come undone? If so, you're probably tying a "Granny Knot", and one simple change to your technique will result in a balanced knot that sits straight and stays secure.
	Crooked Bows? Do your shoelace bows sit vertically instead of across the shoe? Do your hair ribbons refuse to sit straight? What about crooked bows on wedding invitations? All of these can be fixed with one simple change to your tying technique, creating a "balanced" knot that sits straight.
	Shoelace Lengths The rhetorical question: "How long is a piece of string?" is a serious question when it comes to shoelaces. Too long and the ends can drag or get stepped on. Too short and it can be difficult to tie a knot. This section should help you work out the correct shoelace length.
	Tips of Shoelaces = Aglets Many people search for shoelace "tips" or "ends" because they want to know the name of the plastic or metal bits at the ends of shoelaces. They're called "Aglets", and you can find out more about them here, including how to repair or replace them.
	Shoelace Tips, Hints & Ideas This section contains all sorts of tips, hints and ideas about shoelaces. There's tips for teaching children, tips for sportspeople, tips for the elderly and disabled, plus general tips for everyone.
	Shoelace Marketplace Looking to buy shoelaces or related items? Ian's Shoelace Site doesn't yet have a web store, but in the marketplace you'll find selected merchants of shoelaces, accessories, gadgets, books (including my own book), as well as my iPhone app, "Ian's Laces".
	Charity and Awareness Shoelaces Ever noticed a group of people wearing the same color shoelaces? They're most likely part of a charity fundraiser or awareness campaign. Find out what the different colors represent, or better still, show your support by buying some shoelaces.
	Frequently Asked Questions (F.A.Q.) You'll find the answers to Frequently Asked Questions here, mainly for the benefit of people typing those questions into search engines. It's also worth looking here before you send me a question for which I've already posted an answer.
	Shoelace News Stories Shoelaces are common, useful items. Here's some links to recent news stories, where you'll discover some of the good and bad, happy and sad events either caused by or involving shoelaces.
	Shoelace & Knotting Links Here's some links to other shoelace and knot related web sites. Providing links is good "Netiquette", enabling the Internet to effectively become its own index.

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What's New?
	17-Jun-2013 - Updated Footbag Lacing - Now The latest lacing method to be updated with animated diagrams.
	12-Jun-2013 - Updated Supernova Lacing - Now The latest lacing method to be updated with animated diagrams. This was another major task, mainly because of the shadows on all of the underlying shoelace segments.
	01-Jun-2013 - Updated Starburst Lacing - Now The latest lacing method to be updated with animated diagrams.
	28-May-2013 - Updated Asterisk Lacing - Now The latest lacing method to be updated with animated diagrams.
	19-May-2013 - Updated Pentagram Lacing - Now The latest lacing method to be updated with animated diagrams. This was the most time consuming update yet because of the many images needed for each variation.