Tatting on Airline Flight

[sandykins57.livejournal.com]

Has anyone brought their tatting along on an airplane and been allowed to tat during a flight?

I've been knitting a lot lately and was hoping to be able to bring along some socks on the airplane to knit during the flight. It is not a restricted item on the TSA site, but I have heard that in a lot of cases they remove knitting needles at security check points. I've even heard where the flight crew took away someone's knitting on the plane and only gave it back to her when they landed, losing one of her knitting needles in the process. So, I was thinking that I should bring along a plastic tatting shuttle and make a doily or something. They are long flights (from Europe to the USA and back again), so I will have a lot of time to fill and since I can't sleep or read on an airplane, this might be my only hope.

Comments

[sidravitale]

Tatting shuttles are plastic, and the thread is thin -- I wouldn't expect you to have any difficulties.

FWIW, I never had any problems flying and knitting with circular needles, or wooden ones (that presumably don't show up in the X-ray machine).

[sandykins57.livejournal.com]

I had thought about taking one bamboo circular needle, but I would hate for it to be taken away because someone decided that it shouldn't be allowed on the flight. I don't know if I want to chance it. I guess that I can ask when I check in and if they say no, I'll just put the knitting in my checked luggage. Then, just have the tatting as a back-up plan.

[xantha.livejournal.com]

take a SASE with you with enough postage to cover the needle. This way you can mail it to yourself if they do decide to not allow you to take it on.

[sandykins57.livejournal.com]

Good thought!

[betsybookwyrm.livejournal.com]

A friend of mine knitted on the plane (in Australia, where knitting needles are still entirely forbidden on planes) using pencils as knitting needles. She coated the tips of the pencils in clear nail polish so they'd be smooth, and put rubber bands on the other ends to keep the stitches falling off. She nearly knit a whole scarf on the plane.

[sandykins57.livejournal.com]

Very ingenious!

[wosny.livejournal.com]

I always take my tatting, and haven't had any problem. I take out the scissors, and don't take my favourite crochet (hook), but no-one has made a fuss. I've not been to USA, but I've been around Europe, and to China.

[sandykins57.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'll use fingernail clippers to cut the thread.

[betsybookwyrm.livejournal.com]

I hope they won't have a problem with taking tatting shuttles on the plane - I'm planning to do that too later this year when I go to North America. My thought was just to try and take a cheap shuttle I can do without on the plane, so if they take it away it's not a big deal. But I don't think they'll have too much trouble - my imagination would be hard pressed to think of a way a tatting shuttle could be an instrument of terrorism.

Good luck!

[sandykins57.livejournal.com]

Mine either have a hook (the metal ones) or a point (the plastic ones), so that is why I was wondering if anyone had ever had a problem. Glad to hear that no one has.

[satsumasalad.livejournal.com]

How do you do the joins if they won't let you take a hook? I was hoping to tat on my 22-hour flights later in 2007

[sandykins57.livejournal.com]

My plastic shuttles have a point, so I will use one of those.

[betsybookwyrm.livejournal.com]

I was going to try using one of the ones that has a little hook attached to the shuttle. Someone told me a little while ago that they'd carried one onto a plane with the change in their wallet and no-one had had a problem. I don't think crochet hooks are banned on planes anyway - only knitting needles. I'm not sure, though.

[same-sky.livejournal.com]

I have! It's been a while, though. Worthless comment but I just had to say something this since I saw it was you who asked--I'm trying to catch up on the weekend's LJ. I am a dedicated geek, you know. I didn't even bother with the clippers, but tied a knot in the string and pulled on both ends, and it snaps at the knot. It feels so McGuyver, or however you spell it.

[sandykins57.livejournal.com]

I didn't know that you were a tatter! Cool! I plan on taking both and being prepared to mail the knitting needles, if necessary.

Now, go rest, feed the baby or just gaze on her with amazement! I said so! ;)

[same-sky.livejournal.com]

I think I knew that you tatted but I had semi-forgotten. Did you teach reebert maybe? I haven't done anything in a long time, but I keep meaning to, so that should count for something. I think it's an excellent one for true geeks, for some reason. :)

[same-sky.livejournal.com]

Excellent one = excellent hobby, only in sleep-deprivation shorthand. :)

[sandykins57.livejournal.com]

Yes, it was reebert. You have a good memory! Knitting as taken me over, lately, so I haven't done any tatting in a while, either.