Q&A for How to Untie Shoelace or String Knots

Take a bobby pin or a paper clip and poke it through the knots in the string. This should allow you a little space to be able to untie the knots the rest of the way with your fingers.

Use a safety pin to slowly pick you way through the knots. This takes patience, but it can be done. If that doesn't work, you may have to cut out the knotted part and add in a new string.

The finger method from this article would work best. Make sure you have enough time, patience and long enough nails to do the job.

Try pulling the knot apart with 2 safety pins, or wiggling it loose with the tooth of a fork by shoving it into the middle and pulling and twisting it. Those are 2 types of utensils you probably have somewhere around the house when you're in a rush!

Try inserting a safety pin through the middle of the lace in each side of the knot and pulling the knot apart.

You could try poking something like a bamboo skewer through the middle of the knot and twisting it to loosen the knot. Or, the tine of a fork might work. Just don't use anything too sharp that might damage the cable.