Airplane knitting

As I live in England and am from Canada each year for Christmas I HAVE to fly out to see my family. I cannot have a Christmas without them! This year I really wanted to be able to knit on the plane (since I can't make cupcakes on a plane, I had to do something!). So I trolled the internet for something saying I was allowed! I called Thomas Cook, who I was flying with, and they said it should be ok but check at the airport.

And Bingo!   Direct Gov's authority telling me I could knit on the plane! Woot Woot! So I packed it in my hand luggage and off I went.

Now, most people would think "Those are very dangerous!" so I took circular needles and double pointed needles as both I think would be hard to grip and use as an effective weapon! When I got to the airport and before I checked my luggage I went to security and confirmed that I could infact bring them on the plane. The guy said Yes, so I went and checked my bags. Off to security and I realised I was in the grumpy man's x-ray line. Crap. So I took my laptop out and put it in a bin, then asked him "do you want my knitting needles seperate as well?" He did not like that. He got even grumpier and when I told him that the guy downstairs said I could he went to his colleague and went "This girl's trying to bring knitting needles on the plane. Do we allow this?" and the other guy just goes "Yep" and carries on walking. Wooo Hooo! Horrible guy 0, Me 1.

So off it went to be x-rayed and I walked through the Beepey Scanners. Which Beeped. I'd forgotten my belt on in the knitting kerfuffle. Oops!

But in the end all was well and I wandered off to find some sushi (sooo much yummier on a plane!) and get ready to board the plane.


Once on the plane Im knitting away and halfway through the flight attendant comes up to me and goes "you're not allowed knitting needles on this plane. Its company policy. How did you manage to get them through security?" So much for the woman on the phone a few days earlier saying it might be ok! So I asked him "Are you going to take them from me?" and he laughed and said he might need to borrow them instead.


Alls well that ends well... and I finished a hat and worked quite a bit on a pair of fingerless mittens for myself! Lets hope the flight home goes the same way!!! Here is the Canadian link for the authority's stance on knitting...which is a thumbs up as well!