Ian's Shoelace Site – Double Lacing

One color shoelace runs through the odd eyelet pairs, another color runs through the even eyelet pairs, with two sets of loose ends at top.

Eight pairs of eyelets

Pairs

8

7

6

5

4

Flip

⇄

Lacing diagram Copyright (c) 2023 by Ian Fieggen

Step

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Lacing Technique

• Start with two different colored shoelaces, each shorter than the original shoelaces from that shoe.

• Feed one shoelace (purple in my diagram) straight across the bottom and emerge through the bottom two eyelets.

• Cross the ends, then feed under the sides and out through the third set of eyelets (skip past one row).

• Continue crossing over and emerging through every odd pair of eyelets until you reach either the top or second-from-top set of eyelets.

• Using the second shoelace (orange in my diagram), begin straight across the second-from-bottom set of eyelets, then lace as above through every even pair of eyelets.

Features

Decorative look

Regular tightening

Harder to tie

“Lengthens” ends

Notes

• If your shoes have an odd number of eyelet pairs (eg. 7 pairs = 14 eyelets), one shoelace will pass through more eyelets than the other. The two shoelaces will therefore need to be different lengths, as shown in the tables further below.

• The technique detailed above is effectively a double variation of basic Criss Cross Lacing. However, the concept of running two shoelaces of different colors separately through the odd and even eyelet pairs can be similarly applied to many other Lacing Methods, as seen in the following gallery.

Double Lacing Gallery

GALLERY 1
Basic technique using “Criss Cross Lacing” as the underlying lacing method:

GALLERY 2
Variations using other lacing methods similarly laced with two different colored shoelaces running separately through the odd and even eyelet pairs:

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More photos of Double Lacing

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Tying Off

When finished, this method ends up with four shoelace ends at the top of the shoe. Here's where you have plenty of creative options for tying your shoes:

Tie One Knot

Double Lacing finished with either a double bow or with two ends tucked in

Tie one knot using the two ends at each side held together like double-thickness shoelaces (as per the shoe on the left).

Alternatively, tie one knot with only the top ends, then tuck the second-from-top ends into the shoe (as per the shoe on the right).

Tie Two Knots

Double Lacing finished with two bows, either across the shoe or along the shoe

Tie two knots across the shoe – one knot across the top row of eyelets, the other knot across the second from top row of eyelets (as per the shoe on the left).

Alternatively, tie two knots along the shoe – one knot using the two left ends and the other knot using the two right ends (as per the shoe on the right).

These are only four of the possibilities for tying off the four loose ends. Get creative – but do try to remain practical!

Shoelace Lengths for Double Lacing

Shoelace 1 – Odd Eyelet Rows
Pairs of eyelets	Approximate length needed		“Lengthens” ends by
8 pairs	96 cm	38 in	+18.9 cm	+7.4 in
7 pairs	96 cm	38 in	+13.7 cm	+5.4 in
6 pairs	84 cm	33 in	+14.4 cm	+5.7 in
5 pairs	84 cm	33 in	+9.1 cm	+3.6 in
4 pairs	72 cm	28 in	+9.8 cm	+3.9 in
3 pairs	72 cm	28 in	+4.6 cm	+1.8 in
2 pairs	60 cm	24 in	+5.2 cm	+2.0 in

Shoelace 2 – Even Eyelet Rows
Pairs of eyelets	Approximate length needed		“Lengthens” ends by
8 pairs	96 cm	38 in	+18.9 cm	+7.4 in
7 pairs	84 cm	33 in	+19.6 cm	+7.7 in
6 pairs	84 cm	33 in	+14.4 cm	+5.7 in
5 pairs	72 cm	28 in	+15.1 cm	+5.9 in
4 pairs	72 cm	28 in	+9.8 cm	+3.9 in
3 pairs	60 cm	24 in	+10.5 cm	+4.1 in
2 pairs	60 cm	24 in	+5.2 cm	+2.0 in

NOTE: These are approximate shoelace lengths for using this lacing on an average sized sneaker. For more accurate lengths, use the Shoelace Length Calculator.

Comparative Length

• MUCH shorter shoelaces needed than those for basic Criss Cross Lacing.

• If the original shoelaces are re-used, this method effectively lengthens the ends substantially.

The significant length difference is due to the single shoelace in Criss Cross Lacing running through all of the eyelets, whereas each color shoelace in Double Lacing runs through only half as many eyelets, resulting in a lot of leftover length.

More details about length comparisons.

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