How to Create the Weave in Creative Shoe Tying

Lacing shoes is no longer just crisscrossing up to the top and then tying in a bow. As shoes become more of an obsession with a wide range of people, more and more types of creative lacing emerge. Many are a virtual origami of string and become an art form on their own. One of the simpler, yet still impressive looking, tying patterns is the weave or checkerboard pattern.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Decide on the look you want to achieve. You can choose two contrasting colors to form a checkerboard look, or you can stick with a single color and achieve more of a basket weave look.

2. Create the horizontal base. Feed the ends of the lace into the bottom two eyelets, with the ends ending up on the inside of the shoe. Feed the left side up the inside of the shoe and bring it out the top left eyelet. Feed the right end of the lace under the right side and out the next side of eyelets, across and down into the left eyelet, under and up through the next set of eyelets. Continue back and forth, until it comes out the right top eyelet.

3. Weave the vertical stripes through. Start at the bottom and weave over and under the horizontal laces until you reach the top. Fold the lace over the top and resume weaving over and under to the bottom. Continue in this manner until you reach the end of the horizontal laces.

4. Tuck in all the loose ends of laces. Some shoes provide a pocket for this. Otherwise, experiment to find the most comfortable position inside the shoe for the excess laces. The best method varies depending on the type of shoe and your personal comfort.

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