Two Loop Shoelace Knot

Also known as the "Bunny Ears" shoelace knot (due to its two loops) or as the "Bowknot": Make a loop with both ends, then simply tie a knot with them. It's often tied incorrectly, resulting in an un-balanced Granny Knot.

Two Loop Shoelace Knot diagram 1

Step 1:

Tie a Left-over-Right Starting Knot as shown, then make both ends into "loops" by simply doubling them back onto themselves. People often refer to these as "Bunny Ears".

Two Loop Shoelace Knot diagram 2

Step 2:

Cross the two loops over each other so that the right (blue) loop ends up in front and the left (yellow) loop ends up behind. The yellow loop is now the right loop.

Two Loop Shoelace Knot diagram 3

Step 3:

Begin to wrap the right (yellow) loop around the left (blue) loop to end up in front.

Two Loop Shoelace Knot diagram 4

Step 4:

Start to feed the right (yellow) loop into the "hole" that has just been made. This is really the same as if you were tying a regular shoelace knot, except that you are working with a loop instead of a loose end.

Two Loop Shoelace Knot diagram 5

Step 5:

With the right (yellow) loop now through the "hole", grab hold of both loops and start to pull the knot tight.

Two Loop Shoelace Knot diagram 6

Step 6:

Notice that the loose end of the right (yellow) loop drops back down to the front left, making the finished knot exactly the same as if you'd used the regular one-loop method.

Finished Knot

Finished Two Loop Shoelace Knot picture

If tied correctly, the finished "Two Loop Shoelace Knot" is identical to either the Standard Shoelace Knot or even my own Ian Knot, the World's Fastest Shoelace Knot.

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 both sits crooked and comes undone more easily. See my Granny Knot page for more information.

Warning!!!

Granny Knot Warning

Kids find it easy to learn this shoelace knot because the technique is so similar to the simple "half-knot" that they probably already know. Tie one half-knot (the Starting Knot), then form the ends into loops and tie a second half-knot (this Two Loop Knot).

Naturally, people tend to tie both of those stages in the same direction. For example, tying a left-over-right starting knot, then a left-over-right finishing bow. Unfortunately, this results in an un-balanced "Granny Knot", which sits crooked and comes undone more easily.

It's important to know that the two stages of the knot ("Starting Knot" and "Finishing Bow") must be tied in opposite directions in order for the finished knot to be "balanced", which means it will sit straight and stay secure.

When teaching this knot, it's CRUCIAL to understand and teach this extra detail.

Please see my Granny Knot page for more information.

Kiddie's Knot Warning

A second, unrelated problem is that older children and adults will often be teased for using this "kiddie's knot", despite it being a perfectly good method if done correctly. See the video below that compares this knot with its "adult" counterpart.

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."

Alternative Name

The technique is also commonly referred to as the "Bunny Ears" method, which refers to the story that is often used to help children remember the steps:

  1. First create the bunny's mouth (tie the Starting Knot);
  2. Next create the bunny's ears (form the two loops);
  3. Cross the bunny's ears (cross one ear over the other);
  4. Tie the bunny's ears (tie them into a knot).

As far as I know, there is no actual "bunny ears" shoelace tying song or rhyme, rather, it was only ever told as a simple story.

One Loop Knot vs Two Loop Knot Video

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