The squared-off knot, known as a reef knot, occurs when each of the "loose ends" from the bow lies opposite to the direction of the incoming lace (prior to the "criss-cross and tuck" component ...

But there is also a more insidious culprit: The mere act of walking loosens even a beautifully knotted lace and quickly leads to the grim fate the study’s authors call “catastrophic knot ...

Even if you don’t wear lace-up shoes regularly, you are probably still quite familiar with the experience of a knot in your shoe string coming undone, irrespective of how well you thought you ...

Once the knot opens sufficiently, then the free end of the lace, which is being tugged by inertia, begins to slip out. The team built a robotic pendulum to examine the math on a deeper level.

It lends itself to all kinds of fancy knots, but when the time arrives for their undoing the spirit of the lace enters a knotty protest and seems to offer every obstacle to its undoing.

One of the most popular of these is called Runner's Knot, or heel lock lacing. If you’ve ever wondered what those two extra eyelets at the top of the lace cage on running trainers are for ...