The Alternate Stitch

Ring Das Bell: Running the Broken Arrow Skyrace

For a race that only started in 2016, Broken Arrow has grown to become one of the best trail races in America. Specifically, it boasts a deep field of elite runners vying for spots on team USA and a large prize purse. The marquee events include a vertical kilometer (VK), 52k and 26k. I’ll be running the VK and the 26k.

The Mirnavator Comes to Vermont: Q&A with Ultra Runner Mirna Valerio
Ultra-runner, public speaker, mother, force of nature – Mirna Valerio inspires us. If you haven’t heard her story, check it out. We were pumped when she moved to Vermont a few years back and decided to get her thoughts on...
Gloves: Socks for Your Hands (Still Made in Vermont).
Our friends at Vermont Glove make socks to protect your hands. They just call them gloves. And they've been making them right here in Vermont since 1920. 
A Collaboration in Creativity & Conservation: The CDTC & Darn Tough Partnership
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.
Blister Prevention 101: Putting Out Those Hot Spots
We’re about to break down the most common reasons behind what causes blisters. And the key ways to make sure that tending to one of these suckers doesn’t become the most memorable part of your next outing.
Limited Edition by Limiting Waste: The Overstock Project
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.
40 Days, One Pair of Socks

Why not wear a pair of socks for 40 days straight? Our owner, Ric Cabot, is known to test new sock styles for 30-straight days, so the bar exists. It’s a statement of the greatness of Merino Wool, and our superior knit – a statement we have truly tested. 40 days, no washing.

A Darn Tough Menagerie: The Folktale Behind Our Animal Socks
Once upon a time, long ago, all the animals of the world were visited by a nomadic hedgehog who had a knack for good storytelling. It was his mission to go around telling all the creatures of the world about a magical place he had visited on his travels.
What on Earth Is a "Lifestyle" Sock?

Huh. This is a great question. I mean, what exactly IS a lifestyle sock? I’ll be honest, I never really knew what a “Lifestyle” sock was until I started wearing them. All I knew at the time was that they were fun and felt good on my feet. But they are so much more than that!

To Bear Town, With Love, From You
Instead of us telling you all the reasons we think Bear Town is the softest, comfiest, most adorable hiker on the trail, we’ll let you do the talking. Nothing a parent loves more than hearing from others what they already knew to begin with.
Banished No More: Ending My Era of Stinky Snowboard Boots
Veteran skiers and riders know it well. That pervasive fragrance wafting from baseboards, radiators, heat ducts, or wherever warm air meets a drying boot liner. Eau du boot: something only a seasoned lover of the mountains might find remotely nostalgic, evidence of a hard day spent on the hill.
Native Vermonter, Maple Syrup Enthusiast, Female Hunter: Jamie Dragon
As a woman hunter, it has been challenging to find clothing and products that fit and perform well. I have struggled to find sufficient hunting gear for over a decade, and even the most expensive lines aren't conducive to women's needs. It seems most companies slap a unisex label on a men's product and call it a day.
The History of Merino Wool, From Flock to Sock
The Merino Wool story is full of top-notch historical characters and plot twists (steal a sheep and get beheaded on order of the King, oh my!). So we’ll do our best to condense the tale of how we got from wild sheep shredding the hills to our current and future source of naturally warm and moisture-controlling fabric.
Socks, the Best Gift for That Person Who's Impossible to Shop for

What do you buy someone(s) who is impossible to shop for? Friends or family members who just don’t care what you get them, they just want some smidge of acknowledgement that you’re thinking about them? Why socks, of course!

A Million Meals, A Million Thanks

One Million Meals. This Giving Tuesday, you helped us donate our millionth meal to the Vermont Foodbank. A million meals to people facing hunger, right in our own community. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Starfish vs Seagull: And Other Wild Warranty Tales
“He ran down to the beach in his Darn Tough socks. He grabbed the starfish, ran out into the water and flung the starfish into the waves... in his mission to save the starfish, he lost a sock in the sea.”
Merino Wool Is Still King: Northwoods Whitetails Hunting Kits
Merino Wool is still the king — nothing comes close to providing the same performance and protection, especially when hiking 15 miles up and down mountains in fresh snow.
The Time of Boots & Boot Socks
Want to know the clincher that makes a good boot day a GREAT boot day? Boot socks. Let me tell you why boot socks are so great, and why, if you have a closet full of boots like I do, you also need a matching drawer full of boot socks.
Family Owned. Family Run. Three Generations of Darn Tough
Darn Tough has always been a company that embodies the definition of family, and that does not fall short when it comes to the Palic family. My name is Denis Palic and I am a third generation Palic working here at Darn Tough.
How to Choose the Right Socks for Work
Here’s the deal: you can have the best, most technical work boots or shoes in the world, but your feet are not going to be happy if you are wearing a crappy pair of socks
Neighbors Helping Neighbors: The Story of Vermont Foodbank’s Partnership with Darn Tough
The story of Vermont Foodbank’s partnership with Darn Tough is one that reflects this unique Green Mountain State community.