Darning: The Basic Tools & Supplies

Let’s show some love to the woolies 🧦
They keep us warm all winter, but over time, even the best-loved socks and sweaters will show signs of wear.

Ready to start repairing them? Darning is one of the simplest ways to extend the life of your clothing—and a small, satisfying step toward a more sustainable wardrobe.

In its most basic form, darning requires just two things: a needle and thread. But a few extra tools can make the process easier, more comfortable, and even a little more enjoyable.

Darning Tools: Needles, Mushrooms, Eggs, etc.

To keep your work stable, it helps to have something firm beneath the area you’re repairing. A wooden darning mushroom is a classic choice, but anything smooth and rounded will work:
a darning egg, a flat stone, a gourd, or even an old light bulb. The goal is simply to hold the fabric taut while you stitch.

Secure the fabric in place with a rubber band or tie—it doesn’t need to be fancy. Use what you already have on hand.

Darning Threads: Best Basics

A helpful rule of thumb: match the fiber of your thread to the fiber of your garment.
Wool for wool, cotton for cotton. Once you’re comfortable, you can bend this rule—but it’s a reliable place to start.

✔️ Wool/poly thread from the storied Laine Saint Pierre in France 🇫🇷 is our go-to for wool or wool-blend socks. It’s durable, flexible, and designed to withstand friction. With its 4 separable strands, so you can choose the thickness of your thread so you can avoid that wretched bunched up feeling inside your shoe.

✔️  Sashiko thread is stronger -- and thus better suited to mending -- than stranded embroidery floss.  It is twisted, which makes it more durable. Daruma Sashiko Thread from Japan 🇯🇵 is the colorfast cotton thread that we use on cotton.