Fuldaer Zeitung (Germany) Interview

TOBIAS: I understand there is only just a fistful knots for shoelaces worldwide. Isn't that most remarkable? A real success story, I guess...?

IAN: I don't know that I'd call it a “success story”. Personally, I believe that the variety of different shoelace knots stems from a failure of the normal shoelace knot to keep the laces tied. This, in turn, stems from a failure to teach the normal knot correctly. I guess it could be deemed a success that different people have found different solutions to this age old affliction, but it would have been a greater success to have fixed the actual problem of the “Granny Knot”.

TOBIAS: What do you reckon: What percentage of lace shoe possessors actually suffer from accidentally tying “Granny Knots”? And is the majority of these bound to be doing it wrong all the time or would the number of one's “Granny Knots” usually vary from day To day?

IAN: From casual observations of people's shoes in the street, I've managed to tally those with various different kinds of visible knots. If we assume that those with straight bows are okay and that those with either crooked bows, double knots or untied shoelaces are probably due to “Granny Knots”, then the percentage could be as high as 50%!

I'd also say that most people who are tying “Granny Knots” would do so consistently because they use the same technique every time. The notable exception would be kindergarten and primary school teachers, who spend a lot of time re-tying kids' shoes. If it is only the finishing bow that has come undone and they leave the starting knot intact (which may have been tied the opposite way to their own), their knots could vary for every child.

TOBIAS: Is the importance of the lace's material (quality-wise) overrated?

IAN: The primary function of a shoelace is to secure the shoes, while the secondary function is as a fashion component. Either of these can be compromised by the lace's material.

Cheap, slippery synthetics like nylon may look nice and shiny, but they are near useless at keeping a knot tied. Expensive, natural materials like cotton hold much better, but they can get fuzzy from wear and tear, can rot from moisture, and can eventually fray or break. Better synthetics like spun polyester give reasonable looks and performance for a reasonable price.

For certain applications, the material is critical. For example, bootlaces made of Nomex are used by firefighters because they are rated to withstand much higher temperatures than regular synthetic laces and are not as flammable as those made of natural fibers.

Although shoelaces are readily replaceable, not everyone has spare laces on standby, plus it's never fun to replace a shoelace at an inconvenient time. I believe that shoelaces are cheap enough that it's worth paying a little more for those made of better quality materials.

TOBIAS: What can you say on the number and content of reactions you've got from people from all over the world (?) on solving their knot-problem? Any especially funny (or touching) stories that come to mind?

IAN: I've lost count of the number of e-mails that I've received from people who have thanked me for finally solving their problem with “Granny Knots”. The Most common reactions are relief at having found a solution, frustration at how many years they wasted BEFORE finding the solution, and amazement that the solution could be so simple.

One e-mail that had me smiling was the guy who suddenly found himself having to adapt to a life without his “trademark” untied shoelaces.

TOBIAS: Are you happy with the sales numbers of your lace book? And how on Earth could you persuade the publisher to print it in first place? :)

IAN: I'm reasonably happy with the sales of my book, “Laces”, although somewhat surprised that it didn't become an international best-seller. After all, doesn't everyone use shoelaces? (*grin*)

As for the publishing side, placing the details of my proposed book onto my highly prominent Shoelace Site made it almost inevitable that a publisher would notice it somewhere along the line. This eventually came about through Jeff Rutzky, a graphic designer, who pushed the concept to his publisher, Barnes & Noble.