Laces: 100s of Ways to Pimp Your Kicks [With 4 Practice Laces]

I love this book and so do my two kids, a 7 yo boy and an 9 yo girl. I originally bought the book to help my son learn to tie his shoes. He is left handed (and I am right) and has some fine motor difficulties. We tried my way and a few ways on the internet and just couldn't come up with an easy enough way for him to learn to tie. The book has the lacing on the outside. It is designed so that the book folds open in order to view the instructions alongside of the lacing. He learned one of the tying methods on a car trip in less than 5 minutes. The kids take the book in the car and try different lacing patterns. My daughter loves changing the lacing pattern on her shoes. They have both changed their lacing patterns numerous times since we bought this book. I have learned so many things from the book too. Some of the lacing patterns are to help shorten those long laces that come on kids shoes these days. There are lacings for making shoes fit tighter, looser, for keeping the laces out of bicycle chains, and not to mention making a fashion statement.

This book was a surprise ! I picked it up because, as a graphic designer, I was interested in its unusual book design. But, after leafing through it, I found lacing styles for all kinds of shoes -- not just children's shoes and athletic shoes. Want to know how to do a Roman lacing for your dress shoes ? This book has it. How about a useful lacing style for hiking boots or bicycling shoes ? It's here. Of course, the stars of the book are the neat decorative lacings. Adding a flair to your everyday shoes, a decorative lacing will set you apart from the crowd. My favorites are "starburst" and "checkerboard." With a little creativity, you can apply the lacing styles to anything with a lace-and-eyelet system. For example, Renaissance faire performers, such as myself, will enjoy this book for new ways to lace up their boots, tunics, bracers, doublets, and corsets. In short, this is a great book for creative folks all ages.

My 11 year old daughter was able to immediately tie some fun laces. She loves this.

Brilliantly desinged book! The front cover mimics the top of a sneaker so you can practice all of the wonderful lacing and tying techniques on a table without bending down. Instructions are clear and the diagrams are self explanitory. I work on my feet all day and found that "Straight Bar" lacing(page 24) makes a big difference in how my feet feel at the end of the shift. Read pages 122 to 155 and put an end to having your shoe laces coming undone without resorting to double tying. I highly recommend this book as the definitive reference for tying and lacing footware. A must for kids, athletes, workers, and sneaker enthusiasts.

Why shouldn't you find the coolest way to lace your shoes? Why be satisfied with the same old - same old? This book gives excellent and easy to follow instructions on how to lace your shoes in truly distinctive ways, as well practical alternatives for specific activities. I learned that I had been tying my shoes the wrong way my entire life! More than just an instructional manual, this is a manifesto for refusing to live a life that is bland and mundane. My hat's off to Ian!