Next Friday I am flying to Rockhampton, QLD, which is basically 12 hours of just sitting on my ass. That would be fine, exciting even, except for the fact that Australian airlines won't let you take any kind of sharp pointy thing on board. So no machetes or straight razors, I guess I will live... But even worse than that: they classify bamboo circulars as sharps.
Have they never seen them?! It's quite obvious they've never tried to USE them, because if they had, they'd know you can barely pick up tight stitches with them, let alone poke someone's eye out.
The girl I spoke to at the airline, she obviously had no idea what a bamboo circular needle was, so i described it to her and was put on hold for 12 minutes while she spoke to her supervisor. The best they could come up with was "It's still a knitting needle, so it's not allowed on board."
Australia is the only country in the so-called civilised world which won't let you take knitting needles on board. I think it must be because we are SUCH a high terrorist risk, what with all the kangaroos and also Dame Edna and the Giant Prawn to think about!
I know I really shouldn't be so flippant about security stuff, but seriously, NOBODY could kill someone with knitting needles. If anyone could, I'm sure they'd have a sponsorship deal right there. I can imagine the ad campaign:
"Denise Interchangeables— for those times when you just can't take your AK-47!".
Bah.
The other thing is that I normally only take hand luggage, and since you can't take knitting needles in the cabin, I will have to check luggage for the first time in years. I hate it because I've had so much stuff get lost or broken by baggage handlers.
Aaaaanyway.... I'll probably have a fair bit of knitting time up my sleeve while I'm away, what with not having to work and also being in the middle of nowhere. So I hereby solemnly swear to have made major inroads on the Vogue cardy by the time I get back. Kita's is so beautiful, it's inspired me all over again!
And now I have it in writing so I have to do it. Wish me luck!
posted by Clementine @ 11:35 am
3 Comments:
...won't comment on cardi at the moment, wounds too fresh...
Ergh. And total agreement on the flying travel thing. I rather be stabbed with a soft, bendy bamboo needle than one of those titanium Parker pens.
i'm still in favour of you taking some needles you don't mind losing and just seeing if you can get past security with them.
not that i'm adovcating smuggling them in (though i wouldn't draw attention to them. let them question you when your bag gets x-rayed. play ignorant).
one man's red alert security risk is another man's 'whatever'.
oh, i seriously doubt i'll have any problems actually getting them trhough security, but it's what happens after that— if i am seen to knit on the plane, the trolley dollies might arrest me! eep. so it all seems kinda pointless. (bad pun!)
i will definitely be packing a plastic crochet hook— i am so CLOSE to finishing Candy, i can almost taste it...
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