Standard Shoelace Knot
Also known as the “Bunny Rabbit” or the “Loop, Swoop and Pull” knot, this is probably the most common method for tying shoes. Make a loop with one end, wrap the other end around and pull a loop through the “hole” in the middle.
Step 1:
Begin with a regular Left-over-Right Starting Knot.
Step 2:
Make the right (blue) end into a “loop” by simply doubling it back onto itself.
Step 3:
Take the left (yellow) end and pass it around to the right, going behind the right loop.
Step 4:
Continue the left (yellow) end around the right loop to end up in front.
Step 5:
Start to push the left (yellow) lace into the “hole” that has just been made.
Step 6:
The yellow lace comes out through the back of the hole to form a right (yellow) loop.
Step 7:
Grab hold of both loops and pull tight to complete the knot.
Finished Knot Gallery
The finished Standard Shoelace Knot is identical to either the Two Loop Shoelace Knot or my own Ian Knot, the World's Fastest Shoelace Knot.
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NOTE: If your finished knot comes out crooked, it's probably because you tie your Starting Knot the opposite way to mine. This will result in an un-balanced “Granny Knot”, which sits crooked and comes undone more easily. See my Granny Knot page for more information.
Technical Details
Technical Name
This knot appears in The Ashley Book of Knots as #1212 and #1214, “The Bowknot”, where it is described as “... the universal means of fastening shoe-strings together.” However, Ashley does not illustrate the steps, and only briefly describes the procedure (which is actually more like the Two Loop Shoelace Knot).
Other Common Names:
1. “Bunny Rabbit (Around The Tree) Knot”
This name refers to the story that is often used to help children remember the steps:
- First create the tree roots (tie the Starting Knot);
- Next create the tree trunk (form the first loop);
- Rabbit runs around the tree (wrap the loose end around the loop);
- Rabbit sees you and hops into the hole (feed through the hole);
- Rabbit escapes out the back (emerge and pull tight).
A simpler rhyme based on this apparently aired on an episode of the TV show “Full House”:
- Over under (starting knot);
- Around the tree (form first loop and run loose end around it);
- Hop through the bunny hole (feed through the hole);
- Pull and see! (pull loop through and tighten knot).
(As remembered by visitor Lizzy M., Dec-2017)
2. “Loop, Swoop and Pull Knot”
This name refers to the three main stages of this knot:
- Loop one end;
- Swoop the other end around the loop;
- Pull a loop through the “hole” formed by the swoop.
This name possibly originates from the 1999 movie Big Daddy, in which the phrase was used several times, and is also the title of the 2006 book of the same name.
3. “One Loop Shoelace Knot”
This name is generally only used in discussions where the knot is being compared to the Two Loop Shoelace Knot and simply differentiates the One Loop / Two Loop variants.
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More “Standard Knot” Pages
Flip Book
Animated Flip Book for the Standard Shoelace Knot.
Videos
YouTube Videos for the Standard Shoelace Knot.
Feedback
Visitors' Feedback about the Standard Shoelace Knot.
Related Links
Ian Knot
Identical knot using a different technique (much faster).
Two Loop Knot
Identical knot using another different technique.
Surgeon's Knot
Enhanced, more secure variation of this knot.
Reef Knot
Shoelace knot minus the loops, useful for tying short laces.
Software
Graphics
Ian
Chris
Tree