So, I have a six-hour flight back home from school tomorrow. I’m knitting an afghan, and the flight would be the perfect time to work on it. I’m sort of worried that they won’t let me take knitting needles on the plane though, and I would be really sad if they confiscated my knitting (I’ve been working on it since April!) So, is it stupid to try to bring my knitting stuff with me?
(In case it matters, the needles are plastic and size 11, so they’re not sharp or anything. I mean, I guess they could take out an eye or something… you know, not that I’ve experimented…)
Much to my surprise, it looks like knitting needles are permitted (link is to a PDF). Nonetheless, I suspect the folks at the security station would have the final word on the question.
I’ve been thinking about this myself, since we’re flying to the States in a little over a week, and I’ve been working on a baby blanket on (Euro) size 6 needles. They’re metal, but they are not sharp at all. I’m 99% sure the security guards would let it pass. I’ve taken a hat I was knitting on size 3.5s on a plane to Belgium and back and no one blinked. But…
When it comes right down to it, I’d be very upset if this was confiscated. I’ve put too much work into it already. Even a 1% risk of losing it gives me a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach, so into the suitcase it goes. I can comfort myself by thinking that since I’m flying with two kids, I wouldn’t get much done on it anyway
Thanks for the link, Hunter Hawk. I think you’re right about the security personnel having the last word - my mom has had nail scissors confiscated although the list says they’re allowed.
Flodnak, the more I think about it the more I agree with you - even though the possibility that they would take away my blanket is pretty slim, I would be heartbroken! It also occured to me that I would need scissors, anyway (I’m changing yarn every row).
I think that you can take children’s plastic scissors to do the cutting. They would have no reason to take the blanket at all even if they decided to take the needles. I worried about all sorts of things before my overseas flight, but everything went through okay. I’m sure they have lots of people doing needlework.
[QUOTE=shimmery]
Thanks for the link, Hunter Hawk. my mom has had nail scissors confiscated although the list says they’re allowed.
If you need a scissors, Clover[TM] makes a dandy little substitute notion. It looks like a notched medallion. Recessed in the notches are cutting edges, sharp enough to slice through yarn and thread. Comes with a loop that you can put on a chain and wear around your neck. I wonder if crochet hooks are suspect, even though the larger sizes are quite blunt. The smaller ones;however, could be quite deadly.
Get a little project-saver contraption that will slip through the loops of yarn on your blanket and save your spot independent of needles- they’re plastic and cheap. And then, if your needles are confiscated, your blanket will be handy dandy.
I have flown numerous times, both domestic and international, with my knitting needles post-9/11. Never so much as a glance at them.
Which is shocking to me, because even with no training, I’m betting I can do a lot more damage with a 10-12 inch knitting needle than with a pair of nail clippers. In fact, I’m sure of it.
I’ve knit on planes with no problems, but of course- the TSA can take away your needles if they feel that it’s a threat. Even if it’s on the approved list of items to take on board.
They certainly won’t mess with your project itself or confiscate it, so don’t worry about that. What I do is take along a padded envelope that the needles will fit into self addressed. If for some reason the TSA won’t allow an item on board with your carry on items and your other stuff is already checked, you can mail the items in question back to yourself.
I’ve had my stuff gone through by the TSA by hand, and still had no trouble getting knitting needles on board, but I still always carry a self addressed padded envelope in case they balk at any item I intend to carry on. So far, no troubles.
(Oh, I would suggest putting needle tip protectors on your needles if you don’t already- they pulled my knitting items out of my bag once and if I hadn’t had some on my projects, they might have fallen off and dropped stitches. Just a tip for you.)
I’m not trying to be a smart-ass (honestly!), but how much do knitting needles cost? I know it is prudent to worry about TSA taking stuff away, but if the needles are cheap, (like less than $10) I’d go for it. The worst that could happen is you’re out what they cost, and can probably pick up a new pair at your destination.
I’ve also been told to be prepared for TSAs to say no and to bring with me a large self addressed stamped envelope so that if they are confiscated at the gate I can mail the work back to myself (or what Zette said).
Bring the afghan along with you on stitch holders and the needles seperately - that way they’re already two seperate items. (I’ve heard nightmare stories about overzealous TSAs ripping the needles out of the yarn and watching projects dissolve)
On a flight last September from Columbus to Phoenix, I crocheted and had no problem at all with getting the hook through security. I also brought along a pail of nail clippers to cut the yarn and change colors, and it worked well enough.
Double-check on that Clover pendant cutter. I thought I remembered reading on some of my knitting lists that it had been put on the “disallowed” list. Apparently on some versions you could remove a screw and remove the cutting blade. :smack:
For the rest, what Zette said. I also understand that sometimes they’re much stricter on international flights than they are on U.S. flights.
That being said, this summer we took two long flights: one to Hawaii and back, and one to Seattle and back (from GA, USA). On the Hawaii trip, I took bamboo circular needles and straight needles. On the Seattle trip, I took small metal circulars (size 1, I think, for socks). Nobody even looked at them on either flight, as far as I could tell.
Some of the frequent travelers at work are knitters.
Most of them take plastic or bamboo needles and leave the metal ones at home. Certainly, it would cut down on the number of times you set off the metal detectors.
TSA will not confiscate your project - but neither are they obligated to be gentle in removing needles.
One person one time had needles confiscated, everyone else has been sailing through with no problem.
OH, that’s right- I did forget. Bring along some plastic stitch holders JUST IN CASE they want to remove the needles for any reason or disallow them. You don’t want your work falling apart.
In my experience, even when they went through my knitting bag by hand (I was going away for 3 weeks and I had around 4 projects on needles) they didn’t disturb my work at all and were very careful. You really can’t say person to person, though.
If I were going to try taking knitting needles onto a plane, I would be inclined to call the airport I was going to be leaving from and ask if they have a policy on the matter.
It also occured to me that I would need scissors, anyway (I’m changing yarn every row).