[at-l] lacing up tight~help

[Bob Cummings <ellen@clinic.net> (Bob C.)]

I never knew what the technique was called, so I don't know whether what I'm
going to attempt to describe is the "cross lacing" Rich wants to know about or
not.

But one technique is to have the lace on different parts of the shoe at varying
tightness. I like the laces loose across my toes, tight around the ankle and
loose at the top.

To achieve this remove the lace from the boot. Run the lace through the bottom
holes. Cross the two ends as usual, but don't push the lace up through the next
holes, but push the laces down through the next holes. Do the same for
subsequent hole or lace holders as far up the boot as you wish. Then if you want
a different tightness half way up make a simple overhand knot (the first part of
a bow knot) and continue normal lacing, but continue to run the lace down
through the holes, rather than up through.

Confused? Think of the difference between pushing the lace from inside the boot
towards the outside, or from the outside in. The latter is what you want to be
doing.

Anyway, the technique coupled with the overhand knots  binds the lace, allowing
you to adjust different parts of the boot with different degrees of tightness.
Practice. The technique works.

The downside is it works too well when you are tired and want to loosen your
boots quickly. You have to loosen the laces, hole by hole, rather than just pull
on the tops of the boot, allowing the laces to loosen quickly.

And once loosened, when you want to tighten again, you must do so hole by hole,
rather than just pulling the laces at the top.

Weary