A Knot That Will Not Untie After the Rain

The bow is a hard lump. Your fingernail cannot find an end. You’re still hunched on the cinder block step outside your apartment, the hem of your rain jacket dripping dark spots onto the toe of the left canvas sneaker. Illustrative example: the laces stayed soaked through even after you stood under the building awning for 7 full minutes while you texted your roommate to let you know you were on your way up. Every prod at the matted, tangled knot just pushes the frayed ends tighter into the clump of mud and thread that holds your shoe closed.

What This Soaked Canvas Pair Lets You Do Right Now

You don’t want to traipse inside with mud caked on the treads, so you can prop the heel of the shoe on the edge of Doorstep Bench once to tap off the worst of the muck before you even mess with the knot further. You already know from past experience that wet canvas laces are almost impossible to untie when they’re fresh out of the rain, since the cotton swells up and the friction between each loop of the knot gets so high you can barely pull them apart even if you do find a loose end. You don’t want to damage the aglets on the ends of the laces either, since those plastic caps are already half chewed off from months of you shoving your feet into the shoes without untying them anyway. Your roommate is already asleep on the couch, so you don’t want to bang around the entryway looking for a pair of scissors to hack at the knot, not when you have two perfectly good options that won’t wake anyone up or ruin your laces for good.

Pick Between Two Fast Fixes For This Tied Left Shoe

The first option is to work at the knot for 10 minutes with the bobby pin you keep tucked behind your ear for stuck zippers, prying at the gaps between the matted loops until you can work a loose end free and untie it completely, then stuff the shoes with newspaper to dry overnight. This works if you have the patience to lean against the doorframe and pick at tiny threads while your socks stay soaked, but it runs the risk of fraying the lace ends so badly you’ll have to replace them before you can wear the shoes again. The second option is to yank the shoe off without untying it at all, slip the whole thing off by stepping on the heel with your other foot, so the laces stay knotted and the shoe holds its shape while it dries on the mat inside the door. You pick this second option, since you can feel a chill creeping up your spine from your wet jacket, and you want to get into warm sweatpants as soon as possible. Follow these steps to get both shoes off without damaging the laces or your shoes:

1. Shift your weight to your right foot, bracing your hand against the doorframe so you don’t slip on the wet concrete step.
2. Press the toe of your right shoe firmly into the back heel of the left canvas sneaker, right along the stitched seam that holds the heel tab in place.
3. Pull your left foot straight up, keeping pressure on the heel of the sneaker until your foot slides all the way out, the laces still holding the upper of the shoe tight around the insole.
4. Repeat the process on your right foot, even though that knot isn’t stuck, so both shoes dry at the same rate and you don’t have to adjust the fit tomorrow.

You shake the excess water off the socks you peel off your feet, tossing them into the laundry hamper tucked next to the door before you wipe the worst of the mud off the shoe soles with a crumpled paper towel you find in your jacket pocket.

Leave a Sticky Note Where You’ll Trip Over It First Thing

You already keep a stack of neon pink sticky notes and a fine-tip marker on the small wooden shelf next to your door for reminders about forgotten lunch containers and library books that are due back soon. You don’t want to wake up tomorrow, grab your shoes, and waste five minutes panicking when you think the laces are permanently stuck before you remember you pulled them off without untying them. Jot a short note in big, messy letters: “Laces are supposed to be tight, just slip on” and stick it right on the toe of the left shoe, so you can’t miss it when you reach for your shoes first thing. You press the edges of the sticky note down firmly with your thumb to make sure it doesn’t peel off overnight if the heating vent above the door blows air toward the entry mat. You add a tiny doodle of a rain cloud in the corner of the note too, so you don’t confuse it with any of your roommate’s reminders about their own shoes or work deadlines. You tuck the marker back into the little wire basket on the shelf, then grab a full roll of paper towels from the kitchen to wipe the remaining mud streaks off the sides of both shoes so they don’t leave stains on the canvas as they dry.

Grab This Pair On Your Way Out To Run Errands Tomorrow

The weather app on your phone says the temperature is supposed to climb to 68 degrees by mid-morning, so the shoes will be fully dry by the time you head out to drop off your library books and pick up groceries for the week. You won’t have to fumble with tying laces at all, since the knot will be set just loose enough to slip your foot into without hassle, just tight enough that the shoe won’t slide off when you walk the three blocks to the library. You can swap out the soaked laces for the spare black pair you have in your dresser drawer this weekend if you want, no pressure to get to that project any time soon. You plan to stop at the small plant shop on the way home from the grocery store to pick up a small pothos for your kitchen windowsill, and these shoes have enough texture on the soles to keep you steady if the sidewalk is still damp from today’s rain. You don’t have to worry about tripping over untied laces, since the knot will stay put until you decide to cut it off or work it loose when the laces are fully dry and easier to manipulate. You can even leave the knot in for as long as it happens to stay tight, if you don’t feel like messing with laces for the next few weeks. If you do eventually decide to untie the knot, you’ll have a much easier time working at it when the laces are completely dry, the cotton has shrunk back to its normal size, and the mud caked in the gaps of the knot has flaked off enough that you can find the loose ends easily. For now, you can leave the shoes on the mat to dry, kick your feet up on the couch, and pour yourself a glass of warm tea to warm up after your long walk in the rain.