Leaving on a Jet Plane? How to Take Your Knitting with You

It’s getting to be travel season, and if you’re a knitter you know that travel time and vacations can leave lots of time for knitting. But it seems like every year I get questions about whether it is allowed to take knitting and assorted knitting tools on airplanes.

The short answer is, in the United States, yes, it’s fine to take knitting needles and some knitting tools on a plane with you. Rules vary among nations, and sometimes even airlines, outside the states, so if you’re traveling abroad or don’t live in the United States, check with the nations and airlines you’ll be traveling to/with for specifics.

Studio Knit has a more specific rundown of what’s OK and what isn’t when it comes to traveling by airplane in the states (and you might be surprised to learn that tiny scissors are OK but sharp pendants that cut thread are not). The rules haven’t changed in a few years but it’s always good to review.

I usually pack something on circular knitting needles (easier to work without bothering seat mates) that I’m not likely to finish so I don’t need to worry about sewing needles or scissors (even though I know they are allowed). Sometimes I’ll pack scissors in my checked bag to ensure I have them if I need them but don’t have to worry about getting hassled by the TSA or slowing down the security line.

Do you have any tips or horror stories about traveling with knitting or other craft supplies? We’d love to hear them!

[Photo: Studio Knit.]

Fall will be here before we know it, and that means there are holidays coming right behind where we might be entertaining at home. It’s always fun to have a hand knit touch in your home for other people to see, and if you’re going to be in the kitchen all day you might as well have some nice knit dish cloths to use.

I love this little plaid hand towel from Darling Jadore. Use a little bit of leftover cotton yarn from another project for the plaid portion. It looks like the horizontal stripes are worked as you knit and the vertical stripes are done with duplicate stitch, making this a quick and easy project even newer knitters can make.

Combine garter stitch and an easy eyelet pattern worked sideways to make the Annette Dish Towel from Cluck Cluck Boots, which is meant to be reminiscent of flour sack towels. It calls for DK weight yarn and you can work it in one color or two (or even three!).

Add a little more texture with this set of kitchen towels from Whileberry Creative. They’re mostly worked in garter stitch with borders in easy knit/purl patterns, and you can work them in sport or worsted weight yarn.

Two of Wands Shop has another cute allover knit and purl pattern they call the Seersucker Textured Tea Towel. It’s an easy repeating pattern worked in worsted weight yarn, and there’s a chart in the pattern you can use, but don’t have to, if you want to practice knitting from a chart.

The Classic Cloth dish towel from Handmade Home by Connie is another one that can use a little leftover yarn in a contrasting color, or you could color block it our use stripes throughout the pattern. This one uses worsted weight yarn and another easy repeating knit purl stitch pattern.

If you like to hang your towel on the oven handle or elsewhere but it’s always falling off, try the Stay Put kitchen towel from Fancy Step Knits. This project is worked in garter stitch and includes a hole partway through so you can pull the towel through itself over a rod or handle. Stripes are optional but a nice addition.

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