Ian Fieggen Ian's Shoelace Site Ian's Shoelace Knot
Ian's Shoelace Site - Bringing you the fun, fashion & science of shoelaces
One Handed Shoelace Knot
Here's the ideal way to tie shoelaces with one hand: Lace the shoe with the bottom end permanently tied off, then secure the top end with a simple loop knot.

NOTE: The following lacing diagrams are upside-down compared to the other Lacing Methods on this site, as they are drawn from the perspective of tying the shoe.
Step 1:

One Handed Knot diagram 1

Start by tying the shoelace onto one of the eyelets nearest the toe (top left in the above diagram). Lace the shoe similar to Straight (Easy) Lacing until the lace is fed into the last eyelet (bottom left in the above diagram).
Step 2:

One Handed Knot diagram 2

The loose end (yellow) is now fed across and back out through the opposite eyelet (bottom right in the above diagram). This second pass of shoelace through the eyelet keeps this knot nice and tight.

NOTE: When loosening the lacing to remove the shoe, don't pull this lace back out, as it's difficult to feed in each time.
Step 3:

One Handed Knot diagram 3

Create a loop with the loose end (yellow) sitting across the final straight section of lace (blue). This is easy to do by holding the loose end between the right thumb and forefinger, then forming the loop around the right thumb.
Step 4:

One Handed Knot diagram 4

Feed a new loop of lace underneath the straight section (blue) and out through the previous loop. The lace is fed underneath with the right forefinger, meeting up with the thumb (which should still be inside the previous loop).
Step 5:

One Handed Knot diagram 5

Start to pull the new loop downwards and across to the right. Take care not to pull the loose end all the way out!
Step 6:

One Handed Knot diagram 6

Continue pulling the loop until it sits snug and close to the eyelet.

Finished Knot
Finished One Handed Shoelace Knot picture When pulled tight, the knot should be tightly bunched against the eyelet, which will then stay quite secure (unlike many other one-handed shoelace knots).

Technical Details
One Handed Shoelace Knot picture Even / Odd Number of Eyelet Pairs:
This photo shows the lacing on a shoe with five eyelet pairs, with the knot that anchors the start of the lacing on the right hand side (the same side as the finishing knot). For shoes with an even number of eyelet pairs (eg. 4 pairs = 8 eyelets, as in the above diagrams), start by anchoring the lacing with the knot on the left hand side (ie. diagonally opposite the finishing knot).
Variations:
1. This lacing favours the right hand because the knot ends up on the right side. Simply reverse the instructions (mirror image) to end up with the knot on the left side.

2. The recommended way to anchor the start of the lacing is to feed the lace through the eyelet and then tie the lace back onto itself. In other words, knot the lace onto the eyelet (as shown in the above photo). Alternately, the lace can simply be knotted and fed through the eyelet from underneath (which hides the knot but which can feel uncomfortable) or from above (which is more comfortable but which looks messy).

3. Whilst the recommended lacing method is Straight (Easy) Lacing, other lacing methods can be used instead, particularly Shoe Shop Lacing. The reversed One Handed Lacing can also be used, with the otherwise loose end passed all the way back up the shoe to emerge from the last eyelet.
NOTE: This knot is mainly for the benefit of people with limited capacity, either temporary or permanent, who are unable to use both hands to tie their shoelaces. It's not intended as a cute one-handed "party trick" for able-bodied people! As anyone who tries it will soon discover, it's still a fairly tricky knot to tie (though hopefully easier than some of the other one-handed shoelace knots that I've seen).
If you do choose to give this knot a rating (below), please consider how it rates as a serious one-handed shoelace knot, not how it rates as a "party trick".

Rate This Shoelace Knot
5 stars (excellent) StarStarStarStarStar
Click button to submit rating & view results.
Or, Click Here to view results without rating this knot.
4 stars (good) StarStarStarStar
3 stars (average) StarStarStar
2 stars (bad) StarStar
1 star (awful) Star

Please only vote once - multiple votes are removed daily

Sponsor's ADs

Previous Page Top of Page Next Page

This page last updated: 08-May-2008. Copyright © 2005-2008 by Ian W. Fieggen. All rights reserved.
Sponsored Links
Click to visit Leather Store USA, proud sponsors of Ian's Shoelace Site
Luggage
We carry the biggest inventory of luggage sets. Find exclusive luggage at discounted prices and free shipping.
www.leatherstoreusa.com
Now Available
Laces (Ian's Book)
Laces (Ian's Book)

Now available on-line