Miscellaneous Definitions — accessories, trims, tools and general fashion terms from Apparel Search
Shoelaces are thin cords fitted to shoes to prevent the shoe from slipping off by accident, which can be untied and loosened, permitting the shoe to open wide to admit the wearer's foot, and then be tightened and knotted. Shoelaces did not become widely popular until the 20th century; previously shoes were slip-on, buckled or buttoned.
Using standard shoes and standard shoelaces, a process patent was granted for lacing in a double-helix pattern "resulting in reduced friction and faster and easier tightening and loosening". Another process patent was issued for an alternative way of tying shoelaces .
"Twirly" laces are elasticized laces coiled into a tight helix. The twirly laces can simply be pulled tight . When made for children, they come in a large variety of colors and textures.
The small plastic sheath on the end of shoelaces that keeps the twine from unraveling is called an aglet.
There are many shoelace accessories. There are hooks to help lace shoelaces tightly. They are especially useful for skates where tight lacing is important. Shoelace covers protect the laces, especially in wrestling. Shoelace charms are decorative, as are colored shoelaces. Some dress codes (e.g. high schools) will specifically exclude color laces and charms. Lacelocks hold laces together, eliminating the need for tying. Laces can be coated to increase friction to help laces stay tied.
Shoelaces can be tied in an almost infinite number of ways. The most common bow, however, is a variant on two half knots tied one on top of the other. A loop is used in the second knot, rather than the simple end of the string, in order to allow for quick untying.
A problem that arises is that two half knots can be tied together in two different ways (ignoring symmetrical configurations). One addition of a half knot to a half knot forms a square or reef knot, an altogether uninspiring knot for the knot aficionado, but a fairly effective one for the purpose of tying shoelaces. While a fairly insecure knot, it functions best when laid flat against a surface as it is on a shoe. The second combination of half knot to half knot gives a granny knot, a knot not good for much at all. It is terribly insecure, and most people who use it will find themselves retying their shoelaces many times a day.
Much discussion has appeared on shoelace tying websites discussing this issue and why it appears that the large majority of people (75% according to one website) are using the granny knot. Some have suggested that it may have to do with children watching their parents and mirroring them, but a total mirroring would produce, if the parent were tying a square knot, a mirror image square knot. A simpler explanation is that if one ties shoelaces first by tying a half knot and then by forming two loops and tying another (as opposed to some speedier technique), and if one consistently puts one hand over the other (left over right or right over left) one gets a granny knot. A square knot is the less intuitive knot and requires switching the top hand. First left over right and then right over left, or first right over left and then left over right. You can generally tell if you have produced the square or granny knot by the direction in which the loops lie. If they lie side to side, you have probably made a square knot. If they lie front to back, you have probably made a granny knot and should teach yourself the other.
Informal experiments seem to show that the need for retying shoelaces will drop dramatically with the square knot.
| The above article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/shoelace). Modified by Apparel Search 12/8/04. |
The shoelace solves a problem buckles and buttons solved badly. A shoe must open wide enough to admit the foot, then close snugly enough around a foot that changes shape as it walks, and it must do both thousands of times without tools. Buttoned shoes needed a special button hook to close and were slow and difficult; slip-on shoes avoid the problem by giving up adjustment. The lace, threaded through eyelets or hooks, works like a distributed clamp: loosened, the shoe opens; pulled tight section by section, it draws both sides of the upper evenly around the foot, and a knot at the top locks the tension in place. That is why laces became widely popular only in the 20th century and then became standard — the system is cheap, light, repairable and fitted anew every time the shoe is worn.
Details of the lace itself support that work. The aglet, the small plastic sheath on the end, keeps the twine from unraveling and gives the fingers a firm tip to pass through eyelets. Lace form varies with purpose: elasticized twirly laces coiled into a tight helix can simply be pulled tight and are made for children in a large variety of colors and textures, lacelocks hold laces together and eliminate tying, coatings can increase friction to help laces stay tied, and hooks help lace tightly where tight lacing matters most, as on skates. Colored laces and decorative charms turn the fastening into expression, which is why some dress codes specifically exclude colored laces and charms, while covers protect laces in sports such as wrestling where an opponent or the mat would otherwise catch them.
Tying looks simple and conceals a real distinction. The most common bow is a variant on two half knots tied one on top of the other, with a loop used in the second knot to allow quick untying. Those two half knots can combine in two different ways. One combination forms a square or reef knot, a fairly effective knot for the purpose that functions best laid flat against the shoe. The other forms a granny knot, which is terribly insecure; most people who use it find themselves retying their shoelaces many times a day, and one website's discussion puts the share of people using the granny knot at about 75 percent.
The diagnosis is visible in the finished bow. If the loops lie side to side, the knot is probably a square knot; if they lie front to back, it is probably a granny knot. The cause is habit: tying the first half knot and the bow with the same hand consistently on top produces the granny form, while the square knot requires switching the top hand — first left over right and then right over left, or the reverse. Informal experiments show the need for retying drops dramatically with the square knot, so the humble shoelace carries a small lesson in applied mechanics: the cord, the aglet and the eyelets do their parts well only when the final knot is tied in its secure form.
Shoelaces are thin cords fitted to shoes to prevent the shoe from slipping off by accident. The lace can be untied and loosened so the shoe opens wide to admit the foot, then tightened and knotted to hold it on.
The aglet is the small plastic sheath on the end of a shoelace that keeps the twine from unraveling. It also makes the lace end stiff enough to push through the eyelets of the shoe.
The common bow can form either a square knot or a granny knot. The granny knot is terribly insecure and most people who use it rety their laces many times a day, while the square knot form, whose loops lie side to side, holds far better.