Half & Half Straight Bar Lacing

This combination of Half & Half Lacing and Straight Bar Lacing forms a series of horizontal “bars” of alternating colors.
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Lacing Technique – Variation 1 – Bi-color shoelace
• Start with a bi-color shoelace, where half the length is one color and the other half is a different color.
• Begin on the inside with the ends emerging through the bottom-left eyelet and the next higher eyelet.
• Both ends run straight across on the outside and in through the adjacent eyelets, then continue straight straight up on the inside, each skipping one eyelet and emerging two eyelets higher up.
• Alternate running across on the outside and up on the inside until lacing is completed.
Variations
• Variation 1 uses a bi-color shoelace, with half the length colored differently.
• Variation 2 uses two half-length shoelaces of different colors knotted together.
• Variation 3 uses two half-length shoelaces of different colors secured separately.
Features
Decorative look
Comfortable
Hard to get bi-color laces
Notes
• Where bi-color shoelaces are not available, an alternative is to use two half-shoelaces of different colors, either knotted together to form a full-length bi-color shoelace (as per variation 2), or each half tied off with a stopper-knot and fed separately through the bottom two rows (as per variation 3).
• These instructions and diagrams show the join between the two colors hidden inside the shoe at the bottom-left. This will result in uneven end lengths at the top of the shoe because one colored end travels further than the other.
• To ensure that the two colored ends are of even lengths at the top of the shoe, use two half-shoelaces of slightly different lengths, as follows:
- For shoes with an even number of eyelet pairs, the lower half-shoelace should be longer by the horizontal distance (H) between two eyelets plus the vertical distance (V) between two eyelets (ie. H+V).
- For shoes with an odd number of eyelet pairs, the lower half-shoelace should be longer by only the vertical distance (V).
TIP: If working out the lengths all sounds too complicated, use my Shoelace Length Calculator to determine the exact length of each piece of shoelace.
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Shoelace Lengths for Half & Half Straight Bar Lacing
Pairs of eyelets: | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
Length needed for bi-color shoelace: | 63 cm 25 inch |
76 cm 30 inch |
80 cm 31 inch |
93 cm 37 inch |
96 cm 38 inch |
109 cm 43 inch |
112 cm 44 inch |
Lengths available: | 27" | 27" | 27" | 36" | 36" | 45" | 45" |
Length needed for knotted halves (bottom half): | 40 cm 16 inch |
42 cm 16 inch |
48 cm 19 inch |
50 cm 20 inch |
56 cm 22 inch |
58 cm 23 inch |
65 cm 25 inch |
Lengths available: | 27" | 27" | 27" | 27" | 27" | 27" | 27" |
Length needed for knotted halves (second half): | 33 cm 13 inch |
45 cm 18 inch |
42 cm 16 inch |
53 cm 21 inch |
50 cm 20 inch |
61 cm 24 inch |
58 cm 23 inch |
Lengths available: | 27" | 27" | 27" | 27" | 27" | 27" | 27" |
Length needed for separate halves (bottom half): | 42 cm 16 inch |
43 cm 17 inch |
50 cm 20 inch |
51 cm 20 inch |
58 cm 23 inch |
60 cm 23 inch |
66 cm 26 inch |
Lengths available: | 27" | 27" | 27" | 27" | 27" | 27" | 27" |
Length needed for separate halves (second half): | 35 cm 14 inch |
42 cm 16 inch |
43 cm 17 inch |
50 cm 20 inch |
51 cm 20 inch |
58 cm 23 inch |
60 cm 23 inch |
Lengths available: | 27" | 27" | 27" | 27" | 27" | 27" | 27" |
NOTE: These are approximate shoelace lengths for using this lacing on an average sized sneaker. For more accurate lengths, use the Shoelace Length Calculator.
Available Half & Half Shoelaces
Shoe Tying Made Simple

These shoelaces from JunctionOfFunction.com are part of their “Shoe Tying Made Simple” kit for teaching children.
Available in a limited range of colors and lengths: 42-inch for kid-sized shoes or 50-inch for adolescent-sized shoes.
Joy!

These shoelaces from Ringelspitz are available on the German website Amazon.de.
The laces are available in three color combinations (black/white, blue/green, orange/purple) and in one length (120 cm).
Buy from Amazon.de (Germany) (paid link)
NOTE: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
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