Reminder: Knitting is (Usually) Allowed on Airplanes

A story has been circulating online about a woman who was asked to put away her knitting on a flight by a flight attendant who warned that you wouldn’t want to have knitting in your hands during an emergency on the plane.

I would guess her worry is that you or someone else could get tangled up in the yarn, or somehow injured by the needles, if you were trying to exit the plane quickly?

I think most knitters are aware of where their yarn and needles are when they are knitting on a plane or anywhere else, and usually keep their yarn in a bag so it won’t roll away or get dirty, so no one should be able to get tangled in it.

Also by this argument probably doing anything in a plane (including serving hot beverages) would be a potential danger in case of an emergency.

Frankly I worry about a flight attendant who is that paranoid about potential dangers happening in flight that they would discourage people from entertaining themselves in transit.

But this story does serve as a good reminder that in the United States, knitting needles (and crochet hooks for that matter) are allowed in carry on and checked bags, as are scissors shorter than 4 inches/10 cm from the pivot point. Nail clippers are also allowed, but not yarn cutters that are blades.

A few years ago I looked for every nation’s rules regarding knitting needles on planes that I could find, and they were generally allowed on flights in the US, UK, Canada and Australia. Scissors are not allowed in flights in Mexico.

It’s always a good idea to check with your airline just to make sure they allow knitting needles and tools, especially if you are flying internationally. It’s always up to the discretion of TSA agents if your supplies will be allowed. I haven’t traveled by air in many years, but I used to always try to use small needles and keep my knitting in its own bag inside my carry on so the needles wouldn’t be obvious. You can also use interchangeable knitting needles and screw the needles off the cable before going through security so they look less menacing.

What do you think of this story? Do you have any recent tales of traveling with knitting? I’d love to hear them!

[Photo of TikTok video from BrittStitches, via Yahoo]

Not too long ago I did a test knit for another designer that was for a cabled cardigan. It’s really cozy and nice but it just about broke me in a ton of different ways. I couldn’t get gauge, which I suppose is my own problem, but mainly I was somehow both bored and forced to pay attention at the same time.

Because it used the same cable all over, I always had to know what row I was on, but nine out of ten of those rows, nothing in particular was going on. So I couldn’t stop paying attention, but what I needed to attend to was boring.

It may have ruined me for knitting cabled sweaters, but maybe I just need something that’s more engaging. Like this Modern Aran Cardigan pattern from Lion Brand Yarn.

This is a reworking of an old pattern from their archives, and you can tell that form the classic look of the cables and the oversized feel (nothing cropped about this one!). It has allover cables, but like a classic Aran sweater it’s not the same cable, so you’ll have to pay attention to what row you’re on and what cable turns happen for which cables on that row.

Because of this, it’s considered an intermediate knitting pattern, but if you’re comfortable working from multiple charts at once it shouldn’t be a problem for you. There are three different charts and seven different cable moves.

Also because the pattern is so big and boxy there are only two sizes available, with a finished chest measurement of either 49 or 63 inches (that’s 124.5 or 160 cm). It’s up to you to decide how much ease you would like and whether that will work for your body.

The pattern uses worsted weight yarn (and calls for another classic, Lion Brand Fisherman’s Wool). It calls for six buttons and includes pockets to make it extra cozy.

This one looks like a great winter project to make and to wear if you’re up for a bit of a challenge. You can grab the free pattern or buy a kit with the yarn needed direct from Lion Brand Yarn.

[Photo: Lion Brand Yarn]

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