Talking about other secure knots wouldn't be complete without mentioning the Granny Knot and what Ian says about the secure knot:
> NOTE: For normal activities, the Ian Knot or other standard knots should be quite secure. I believe that many people seek more secure knots because they are, without realizing, tying their shoelaces with an un-balanced "Granny Knot". Please see my Granny Knot page that discusses this in detail.
I think this is right. In ten years of use, the handful of times the plain Ian Knot has come undone on me were from stepping on and end or similar - it's never come undone without some external force, and even then it's usually fine. I just checked and I'm not doing the Granny Knot version.
It depends on the string you’re using to tie it. Paracord shoelaces are more slippery than most; I had to switch to the secure version of the knot because the normal one didn’t have enough friction to stay tied all day.
It's definitely possible. It depends on which way you do the initial single knot (right over left or left over right), relative to which way you turn the Ian Knot loops (left end towards you or away). The are four possible combinations, two of which produce Granny Knots.
Which is basically an upside down surgeon's knot. Just like a normal shoe-lace knot is a reef-knot using bights instead of ends.
I don't think he gives the correct knot for the surgeon's knot.
First IMO you should cross the two ends, push under the upper end, and then repeat. Then form bights and do the same action again (I use this for laces when I need them to stay fastened or when they're long and I don't want dangling aglets). However, it seems I also have been doing the surgeon's knot wrong - I make it balanced (a reef knot with an extra cross in each direction) but in every other image it's finished with a single cross of the two bights.
Knot related: Patrick Novotny[1] has a youtube channel with 100+ ways to tie your tie. A fun intersection between knot enthusiasm and attractive attire.
Seconded, but I know it as "surgeon knot". Someone show it to us on a seminar as proper method to tie dance shoes, because other methods are not working at all.
> NOTE: For normal activities, the Ian Knot or other standard knots should be quite secure. I believe that many people seek more secure knots because they are, without realizing, tying their shoelaces with an un-balanced "Granny Knot". Please see my Granny Knot page that discusses this in detail.