Knitting on Airplanes

OK so I hear this all the time and it kind of drives me crazy.

I was in a yarn store in South Carolina earlier this year (with a flat tire) and I heard an older women speaking with complete certainty that you CAN NOT take knitting needles on planes.

To those of you who know me, you know that not allowing me to take my needles on board would be far more dangerous!!

Anyway, what got me started tonight was a discussion on Ravelry about taking Signature Needle Arts needles on planes. And I just had to throw in my two cents worth.

I travel a lot.

And by a lot, I mean A LOT!!

I always have at least 2 sets of Signature DPNs and my size 7 straight Signatures and usually a pair of addi lace circs.

Sometimes with works in progress and some times without.

I have NEVER (knock on wood) had any trouble getting through security. 9 times out of 10, the person in the seat next to me will say “they let you bring those on?” But, security and the flight attendants never say a word. Except maybe an occasional “how cool.”

While going through security in Munich once, I could see them eyeing my needles. So I explained what it was in German. They assumed I was fluent (it is very important to learn the knitting terms for any country you travel to) and they proceeded to tell me how cool that was, in German.

Another time, I had mistakenly left a pair of scissors in my carry on going through Munich again. They were like scrap booking scissors, with the pointy tips. They pulled them out, I was so embarrassed and told them they could keep them. They eyed them and then put them back in my bag and sent me on my way. When I got on the plane, the guy next to me was one of the 9 out of 10 when he saw my Signature straights. He just couldn’t get over the fact that they let me on the plane with my sharp pointy needles.

It took everything in me to not say “well you should see the scissors they let me bring on board!”

I never pull my needles or knitting out at security. And they usually don’t ask about them. Those that do are more intrigued than worried.

My advice, don’t bring unnecessary attention to them and be prepared to ship them home if they just won’t let you through security with them.

But seriously, I fly a lot, you really don’t have to worry about it!!!