Turquoise Turtle Shoelace Knot
Also known as the “Shoemaker's Knot”, this is a lesser known secure shoelace knot. Make a Two Loop Shoelace Knot, but before pulling tight, pass the loop and adjacent loose end through the middle for a second time.
Step 1:
Begin with a regular Left-over-Right Starting Knot.
Step 2:
Make both ends into “loops” by simply doubling them back onto themselves.
(I guess they should still be called “Bunny Ears” because turtles don't have long, floppy ears!)
Step 3:
Cross the right (blue) loop over the left (yellow) loop so that the blue loop sits in front and is now the left loop.
Step 4:
The yellow loop is now the right loop. Begin to wrap that loop around the left (blue) loop to end up in front.
Up to this point, the knot is exactly the same as the Two Loop Shoelace Knot.
Step 5:
Feed the right (yellow) loop through the “hole” that has just been made. Feed a fair amount through so that you still have a good length of loop to work with.
Step 6:
Take the right (yellow) loop plus the right (blue) loose end together as a “bundle” and wrap them both around so that they end up in front.
Step 7:
The “bundle” is now fed into the “hole” between the laces. Like the Surgeon's Shoelace Knot, this second wrap & feed-through is the “secret recipe” that makes this knot secure.
Step 8:
Now, simply pull the loops to tighten the knot. The whole twisted mess of the previous drawing will rearrange itself into exactly the same finished knot as my Ian's Secure Shoelace Knot.
Finished Knot Gallery
The finished Turquoise Turtle Shoelace Knot should look almost identical to my Ian's Secure Shoelace Knot – a tight, closed knot with a double wrap around the middle, as compared to the single wrap of simpler shoelace knots.
NOTE: Because of the non-symmetrical way of tying this knot, the result may look somewhat different. This depends on how readily the laces “rearrange” themselves during tightening.
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Technical Details
Origin of the name
This knot is named after a parcel knot used in a boutique called the “Turquoise Turtle”.
Double Starting Knot
I've seen conflicting instructions for the first steps of the Turquoise Turtle Shoelace Knot.
Most knotting books show this knot beginning with a Double Starting Knot. However, some books suggest that this step is optional – and I agree. The “Double Starting Knot” can be used to tie any shoelace knot more tightly.
My instructions and diagrams for this knot therefore begin with the simpler regular Starting Knot. This also made all of the diagrams easier for me to draw and for visitors to understand.
Left / Right Variations
I've also seen conflicting instructions for the final steps of the Turquoise Turtle Shoelace Knot.
Some knotting books follow the above technique, which finishes with the right loop plus loose end passing through the middle. Other books follow most of the above technique, then finish with the left loop plus loose end passing through the middle. This variation makes the technique almost identical to Ian's Secure Shoelace Knot, which differs in that the loose end isn't fed through with the loop.
Patented Technique?
The Turquoise Turtle Knot technique is described in the following United States Patent – although the knot's original name is never mentioned:
SHOELACE TYING SYSTEM
(Kissner et al.)
Patent Number: 5,997,051
Date of Patent: Dec. 7, 1999
That patent date is long after the Turquoise Turtle Knot had already been described in knotting books and elsewhere, which likely renders the patent invalid on the basis of “prior art”.
Download patent (pdf) (via freepatentsonline.com)
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More “Turquoise Turtle Knot” Pages
Flip Book
Animated Flip Book for the Turquoise Turtle Shoelace Knot.
Feedback
Visitors' Feedback about the Turquoise Turtle Shoelace Knot.
Related Links
Ian's Secure Knot
Identical knot using a different technique (more symmetrical).
Surgeon's Shoelace Knot
Identical knot using another different technique.
Two Loop Shoelace Knot
Simplified, less secure variation of this knot.
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Chris
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