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Ian's Shoelace Site Ian Knot Technical Info. Home

This page contains some technical information on the Ian Knot,
including its knotting origins, its advantages and its limitations.

Ian Knot Technical Info.
Technical Description of the Ian Knot:
When I began searching the Internet for shoelace knots, I discovered a whole culture of people interested in knots, knot tying, knot art, even knot theory. From them, I learned that the Ian Knot knot is described as a "Shoelace Bow with Two Ripcords" (the loose ends that you pull to untie the knot). As such, the Ian Knot is little different from other shoelace bows except in the manner and speed of tying.

I also learned that the core of my technique is almost identical to that used in the "Tom Fool Knot" (or the "Chinese Handcuff Knot"), a similarly "instant" knot described in various knotting books including the definitive "Ashley Book of Knots". The Tom Fool Knot differs in that it uses the whole hands instead of just the fingertips, making it unsuitable for tying such short lengths of string as shoelaces. I guess the Ian Knot could be described as a more intricate variant of the Tom Fool Knot.

If you are interested in knots, the Ashley Book of Knots is a fascinating book that's well worth a read. I could sell you a copy, you could order one yourself online from Amazon Books (http://www.amazon.com), or you could check it out for free at your local library (that's what libraries are there for!).
My Own Technical Observations:
When I first invented the Ian Knot, I was curious to see whether it would be just as effective as the tried and tested conventional knot that I had been using until then. For several months, I tied one shoe the old way and the other shoe with my new Ian Knot. This led to the following conclusions:
  • The Ian Knot took only a split second to tie, compared with a couple of seconds for the conventional knot.
  • The Ian Knot was easier to tie than the conventional knot regardless of the prevailing conditions (ie. hot or cold, light or dark, wet or dry).
  • The Ian Knot was harder to tie than the conventional knot when the laces were too short or when something had to be tied extra tight.
  • The Ian Knot stayed tied just as reliably as the conventional knot.
  • The Ian Knot was just as easy to untie as the conventional knot.
  • The Ian Knot was just as prone as the conventional knot to occasionally get tangled when untying. (Eg. Due to a loose end inadvertently going through a loop during the day's activities).
  • The Ian Knot caused less wear & tear on my laces than the conventional knot. (The lace of the shoe with the conventional knot became tattered and eventually broke, thus ending the experiment).
Technical Limitations of the Ian Knot:
Despite being a fantastic knot in most circumstances, the Ian Knot is not perfect for ALL situations. As mentioned above, there's a couple of limitations that I've personally noticed, and that a few other web site visitors have also mentioned:
  • The Ian Knot is harder to tie when the laces are very short.
  • The Ian Knot is also harder to tie very tight, such as when tying hiking boots or when tying certain things other than shoelaces (eg. parcels).
Both of these limitations are due to the fact that the simultaneous inward movement from both sides of the Ian Knot means that neither side can maintain outward tension on the Starting Knot. Also, because both hands are busy manipulating the laces, neither has a finger free to hold things in place as one can do with other conventional knots.

That said, I find that I can use my Ian Knot in maybe 95% of situations, and revert to other traditional knots where the need arises.
Can It Technically Be Called An Ian Knot?
I occasionally receive an e-mail from a web site visitor who tells me that they were taught an identical knot by someone who used it long BEFORE my time, implying that because this other knot pre-dates my Ian Knot, I probably learned it somewhere and am passing it off as my own.

I figured this was due to one of several things:
  • They, too, did the same as I did and analysed the conventional knot to come up with this simpler variation, or
  • They knew the "Tom Fool Knot" and adapted it to the shoelace, or
  • They learned it from someone else who had done one of the above, or
  • THEY are actually trying to take credit for MY knot.
However, consider the following e-mail excerpt:

"Anyway, I want to say congratulations for coming up with the Ian knot, it's a good knot. I came up with the same knot in my second year of school, so I would've been about five years old. Still, you'd beaten me to it by some six years".

Besides lending credibility to my claim of having invented it totally on my own, it also reinforces my first conclusion: That anyone who analyses the standard knot may end up working out this same, faster method. The knot is so simple that it's hard to imagine that more people haven't "discovered" it.

The fact that others are coming up with essentially the same knot independently, whilst coming as a blow to my ego, nonetheless doesn't preclude me from having named my invention the "Ian Knot", to have taken the effort to document the procedure, and to have actively spread its usage world-wide.

Please see my Testimonials page to read some of
the things that others have said about my Ian Knot.

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