The Alternate Stitch

Two sons and their dad at Darn Tough mill, showing Father's Day gift ideas
Mill About ·
The Sockfather Chronicles: Father’s Day Staff Picks
by Darn Tough Vermont
For this round of Staff Picks, we talked to Darn Tough fathers and their children about which socks are best for Father’s Day. So, without further do, in the words of Dads everywhere… let’s rock ‘n roll.
Two daughters standing with their mom, showing what socks they'd buy her for mother's day
Mill About ·
From Our Moms' Feet to Yours: Mother's Day Staff Picks
by Darn Tough Vermont
For this round of Staff Picks, we talked to Darn Tough moms and their children (who also work at Darn Tough). We asked the kids which sock they’d be most likely to give their mom for Mother’s Day...
A rolling cart filled to the brim with packages from the post office for Darn Tough
Mill About ·
We’ve Got Mail: Weird, Wild, & Wonderful Customer Packages
by Darn Tough Vermont

It’s rare to get mail these days. Well, rare to get real mail that isn’t coupons for things you don’t want or offers to buy your home. Unless you work in the Darn Tough warranty department―then you’ll get a lot of mail. Mail like this. 

Staff Picks: The People Who Know
Mill About ·
Staff Picks: The People Who Know
by Darn Tough Vermont

If you know, you know. And if you don’t, that’s okay. Because for this round of Staff Picks, we talked to a few people who know best. We reached out to Darn Tough employees who have at least 10 years of service with the company and asked them to talk about their favorite socks. This is what we learned.

Life's Guaranteed Guarantees
Mill About ·
Life's Guaranteed Guarantees
by Darn Tough Vermont
It was ol’ Benny Franks who once said, “in this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes.” It’s too bad he didn’t get to live long enough to be introduced to Darn Tough, because this humble sock company has a certainty that would blast his socks off quicker than flying a kite in a thunderstorm—their Unconditional Lifetime Guarantee.
Three people in darn tough socks with different heights but the same performance fit
Mill About ·
Making the Best Fitting Socks
by Jennifer Hastings

If our socks aren’t the most comfortable, durable, best fitting socks you’ve ever owned, you can return them for another pair. We hear the most questions and feedback from you about the last piece of that promise – fit. Fit is constantly on our minds, and here's what we’ve learned about how socks should fit and why.

Ultrarunner seated pulling on well-worn darn tough socks, the most durable socks
Mill About ·
Making the Most Durable Socks
by Darn Tough Vermont

At Darn Tough, we back every sock with our Unconditional Lifetime Guarantee: if our socks aren’t the most comfortable, durable, and best fitting socks, you can return them for another pair. Durability sits in the center of that promise. But what makes Darn Tough socks so… tough?

Two people on couch under a blanket with sock-clad feet sticking out wearing the most comfortable socks
Mill About ·
Making the Most Comfortable Socks
by Darn Tough Vermont
Why does comfort matter, what is comfort, and lastly, how do we make Darn Tough socks so comfy that we’re confident in our promise that we knit the most comfortable socks and back it with a lifetime guarantee?
A darn tough employee holding the Bear Town sock, her go-to Christmas gift idea
Mill About ·
Gifting Under Pressure: Staff Picks to Gift This Holiday
by Darn Tough Vermont
“One can never have enough socks,” said Dumbledore. “Another holiday has come and gone, and I didn’t get a single pair.” Your favorite Professor may be a fictional character from Harry Potter, but his words still resonate with us. Mainly because it’s true… one can never have enough socks.
Darn Tough employees packaging up a our socks guaranteed for life, no strings attached
Mill About ·
How to Guarantee a Sock for Life (Unconditionally)
by Darn Tough Vermont
We get a decent stream of mail and comments asking how can we possibly offer an Unconditionally Lifetime Guarantee on our socks. So, let’s get right into the how and why behind making socks with a lifetime warranty.
Alex holding up the Preserve sock with a bunch of students in the background doing stamp art
Mill About ·
The Bright Side of Playing with Your Food
by Alex McClain
When asked, if I would be interested in taking part in an art project to celebrate our Knit to Give program with local students, I was initially hesitant, only because I have had very little exposure around kids in my adult life. But then, I realized the students are the same age I was when I was introduced to art.
Two skiers on the slop using adaptive skis as part of a high five foundation event
Mill About ·
High Fives Foundation & Darn Tough Vermont: Strength in Sharing Communities
by High Fives Foundation

We believe, together, we can create a universal shift in adventure sports that expands what is possible for those who have faced life-changing injuries. Since its inception in 2009, The High Five Foundations has helped over 480 athletes and veterans. 

A wall completely covered in Darn Tough socks, dozens of different designs and colors
Mill About ·
Sock 201: How to Design and Develop Socks
by Owen Rachampbell & Darn Tough Vermont

We take you on a closer look into how we design socks, from the research and development to knit-downs and fit testing. No worries, we’ll walk you those terms in a moment, but first let us show you.

Staff Picks: Our Favorite Socks for Summer
Mill About ·
Staff Picks: Our Favorite Socks for Summer
by Darn Tough Vermont

Summer in Vermont is often considered a sock-less season. But at our Mill, we know better than to assume people are strictly shoes-off. And, like you, we’re curious which Darn Tough socks offer the best fit for summer, so we turned to our experts.

A pair of Vermont Glove leather work gloves next to a sewing machine
Mill About ·
Hand in Glove: A Century of Textile Manufacturing Right in Vermont
by Jesse Huffman
Employees guide goat leather through industrial-grade needles. The dance of hand-making leather gloves rewinds the clock to an era when nearly all textile products purchased in the US were produced in the US. The front sign says it all: “Vermont Glove Since 1920: Actually Made in Randolph, VT."
Volunteers working on fixing a mountain bike trail in Vermont
Mill About ·
To Dig Is to Ride: Trail Night with Bicycle Express Racing & WATA VT
by Brandon Sauer
In my opinion, the best biking on the East Coast is in Vermont. The best biking in Vermont is at Perry Hill. Bicycle Express Racing, WATA VT, and Darn Tough banded together to remediate an eroded climbing trail that took riders to the progression focused trails of S'mores and Campfire.
Northern Wool from Bobolinks next to a cone of Darn Tough merino wool yarn, used to make socks
Mill About ·
Beyond Upcycling: Bobolink Yarns & Darn Tough Vermont
by Katie Sullivan
To me, the coolest aspect of this project is that it sets aside the “compromise” nature of some upcycled products. This isn’t a conversion of some old jeans into a bag or a yogurt container into a flowerpot: This is a primary-use manufacture that puts wool waste from Darn Tough Socks at near-zero. 
Megan making a Barn Quilt with the Knit to Give inspired Barn Quilt next to her
Mill About ·
Barn Quilts: Supporting the VT Foodbank, Art to Plate
by Darn Tough Vermont
What better way to launch the Knit to Give sock series, we figured, than by collaborating with local artists? With its farm-fresh look featuring a wheelbarrow, Holsteins, chickens, and more, the Barnyard sock in particular seemed like a perfect match for Vermont barn quilt artist Megan Beachum at Crow Bar D’signs.
Darn Tough's first Knit to Give sock, the Barnyard, a blue lifestyle sock with farm animal designs
Mill About ·
Unconditional Giving: Introducing Knit to Give
by Courtney Laggner
Introducing ‘Knit to Give’ – a series of socks giving all profits directly to the Vermont Foodbank. You’ve seen us commit to a few days a year where we would donate profits from the website, which was wonderful don’t get us wrong – you helped us donate one million meals that way – but we wanted more.
Hiker wearing the CDT socks that support the Continental Divide Trail Coalition
Mill About ·
A Collaboration in Creativity & Conservation: The CDTC & Darn Tough Partnership
by Continental Divide Trail Coalition
In 2022, the CDTC is celebrating 10 years of supporting their mission to complete, promote, and protect the Continental Divide Trail. Last summer, we launched a sock collaboration with them to give back to that mission.
An employee at the Mill checking an overstock sock knit in bright orange
Mill About ·
Limited Edition by Limiting Waste: The Overstock Project
by Darn Tough Vermont
This spring, we started knitting socks using yarn we had excess stock of, yarn that had no future to become a sock if we didn’t seek out a solution. Knitting socks with overstock yarns helps us out in two ways.
Visit Unconditionally Guaranteed for Life information page
Unconditionally Guaranteed for Life
Visit Still Made in Vermont, USA information page. Outline of the state of Vermont
Still Made in Vermont, USA
Visit the Uncompromised Comfort, Durability, and Fit information page. Darn Tough mountain logo
Uncompromised Comfort, Durability + Fit