Listen, whether you feel it was stupid or not, they didn’t do it to be mean. I think all knitters have to just come to the realization that times have changed and that we are going to have to accept that truthfully, knitting needles can be dangerous objects. Chalk it up to security and that they are trying to keep everyone safe and let it go. Also, at least they gave you the stuff back. If they take it away at an airport, you lose it permanently!
The TSA allows screwdrivers under 7" and scissors (blunt or sharp) under 4"…those seem much more dangerous to me than knitting needles. Dangerous times though call for desperate measures…unfortunate but true.
When I flew home from Italy a couple of months ago I was allowed tobring my knitting on the plane. I originally went through security with it and no one asked me about it, but right before you actually board the plane they again hand search all of your carryons. The security agent questioned it at that point but when I explained to him it was knitting needles and I was making a scarf he let me on with it. I had bought some beautiful chunky yarn in Venice to make a scarf with and the lady in the yarn store suggested size 19 needles - so I had these huge bamboo needles with me.
Lynn
you can’t take knitting needles in carry on in Canada. They even took my hair thinning shearers, which have rounded ends, that I had fogotten about in my bag.
I was about to write that too Diane, last time I travelled by plane within Canada, knitting needles were not allowed. I did manage to travel with circular needles once though, but it was 1-2 years ago, perhaps the rules changed?
Anyways, I find it annoying and I am not entirely sure they do it intelligently, but I do understand why they are doing it. Still, I find it frustrating that often employees are not searched AT ALL. :shrug: We customers can’t bring knitting needles, but employees could probably bring a knife or worst!
My DH and I are flying to Phoenix next month and when I went through the TSA regs they said knitting needles were OK as well as small scissors. I want to carry on a sock project for the flight and don’t want to lose it to the security guys. Would 24" options No. 1 or 2 be OK? Someone reassure me!! Please!! (We’ve never flown before!!)
Also I heard that if you take along a self-addressed envelope they they will return confiscated stuff. True or just another old wives’ tale? I figured it would be worth taking just in case.
Next time, if there is a next time, you might ask why they are taking them - for safety or security reasons (or both). I can almost understand the safety issue, but not fully. In my opinion, security is not an issue at a park like that in a case like yours.
I haven’t flown (yet) with knitting needles. So I can’t say forsure if they will take them or not. Seems from what I’ve read before, each airport/TSA is hit or miss. Some people get through, others no. So, I’d be safe and take a SASE with you so can keep your needles/project & have it mailed back to you.
I flew from Texas to Chicago and back and it was ok. Just call the airines and airport security. I would bring plastic or wood.
I wasnt upset thay took my project away I was just shocked.They have days at the balloark and other places where they have knitting days and you can bring your knitting. I think six flags would benefit.
If you have small kids and have to wait with them while the bigger kids wait in line for big rides it gets boring.
Yeah, I heard that, too. So last year when we flew to Seattle I had the envelope with me. They let the knitting through, but I asked about a mailbox and he said they didn’t have one. So it wouldn’t have done me much good. :roll:
BTW…I brought 1 cord and set of needles (Denise) on the plane. I figured if they confiscated that at least I wouldn’t lose the entire set.
:teehee:
I’ve never heard of anyone on a US domestic flight having their knitting taken away, cheesiemom.
If in doubt, ring that airline AND airport (because two sets of security systems are prevailing) and ask, and, if possible, ask for what you’re being told to be faxed to you. Then you can show the document if challenged because if rules come down to discretion of individual guards that’s problematic.
Same as for a fun park. Now, ok, maybe one needs to concede that sometimes these places have a security scare and will be tighter when that happens but if a park has ‘knitting days’ (never heard of that but novel! 
)
but says no to you then contact the park management or administration and just say you’d like to know why the difference. Maybe it was an over zealous guard and the park needs to talk to staff and ensure all are on the same page.
And again, it may not be YOU they consider the risk but someone grabbing the bag. But I’d ring admin not a problem and just raise the issue in terms of asking for clarification.
This is one big advantage to the Denise set - they don’t look as threatening as metal or bamboo needles. I took some bamboo #11 to the baseball park with project attached and had to do some fast talking to get inside. I just kind of roll the Denise’s into a circle and tuck the ends under the yarn to make it look as innocuous as possible and I’ve rarely been questioned.
And that picture looks familiar except it was a ballpoint pen that went into my heel.
A knitting needle can do just as much or little damage as a pen or eye brow tweezers. Come on, people! Sheesh!
back to the original post: i don’t know what city she lives in, but here in So Cal we have a Six Flags park in Valencia and it is very popular with the “unsavory” types, i.e. gangbangers - i won’t go there for that reason, but i don’t wonder if all Six Flags have adopted stricter security measures b/c of the things that have happened at ours - there have been very serious fights and attacks - it’s not a fun place for me
Actually thats not quite true. I was going to France in January and I tried and tried to get through to British Airways. I had no luck for two weeks before the flight so I contacted BAA - the British Airports Authority (TSA Equivalent) and their email response was that its perfectly fine to take non metal needles into a cabin of a plane, however individual airlines have individual rules and to check with your airline first.
British Airways do not allow ANY kind of knitting needles on a flight (or crochet apparently). Supposedly it annoys other passengers /shrug.
Anyway, BA didn’t ever respond to phone calls, emails or even my hand written letter.
The one hand baggage bag issue is again certain airlines. British Airways now only allow ONE piece of hand baggage (that includes a handbag/purse) you can bring ONE piece of hand baggage and a small laptop into the cabin but thats it. You now are only allowed one piece of checked in luggage too which has to be below a certain weight. If you bring more than one bag (you can if you like) they will charge you excess baggage on it.
If you are checked through and connecting at Heathrow they should not switch your hand baggage allowance because its not fair to attempt to get an in transit passenger to go out, re-check in, and send bags to be checked.
That is ridiculous IMHO. Coming back from Ireland I walked through with a huge bottle of water in my bag without being stopped or having it confiscated. At Heathrow, they made me ditch all liquids that were over 100ml - I forgot to put my perfume (chanel no 5 small EDT) into a plastic bag they tried to take it off me.
After a rather large argument they let me keep it. I gave them my eyedrops instead :teehee:
There needs to be ONE overall set of rules for every single airport. I don’t see why some are different to others - seems daft to me! Wooden or bamboo needles should be allowed on. Other passengers letting off wind annoys me, people kicking the back of my chair annoys me, if knitting annoys others then so be it - suck it up I say! :teehee:
In Australia now you have to have all cosmetics and hair products and so on in plastic clear bags and you cannot take over a certain size. There are quite a few rules.
I think part of the knitting issue is the noise some knitters make with metal needles. Haven’t some of you noticed that? That some people knit with barely a sound and some clack away like mad? If you’re on a long flight trying to sleep it could be annoying I guess. But I’ve been driven mad by someone constantly coughing! Give that guy a throat lozenge! :doh:
Re Knitting needles on airplanes. On one hand people complained after 911 that this sort of thing should have been prevented in the first place. Now they are preventing (or at least taking steps to avoid) tragedies in the air and people complain that their rights are taken away. :shrug: Airlines don’t take our rights away. Terrorists do.
However, knitting needles are not dangerous. While someone could feasibly puncture a carotid artery with a knitting needle (or a pen, pencil, or any other pointed object) and kill someone, who in the hell would take a hijacker seriously if he held up a person at “knitting needle-point”. :teehee:
Re knitting needles at a theme park? I live in FL and have been to theme parks more times that I can count including over 20 times in one year. Taking away your needles is utterly asinine. People carry cameras on roller coasters and I don’t know about you, I’d be much more worried about getting smacked in the head with a flying camcorder than a knitting needle.
I got stuck at Heathrow for that very reason :!!!: We had travelled from NY to Paris and then Paris to London with 2 carry on bags and with just a short time to spare between flights, missed our connection trying to sort out how to handle the “one carry on bag” rule in England. We ended up spending the night at a hotel before having to make another flight the next day because there wasn’t the time to go through customs, check our second bags and then get to the terminal for our connecting flight. It’s not just BA – it’s any flight out of England. You would think someone would have mentioned the new regulations to us when we first left Paris.
Aaargh! :doh: