And so the days are filled...

18 November 2005

Self sharpened?

A quick post today to tell knitters this very odd story about my mum's recent international flight to come visit me in Sydney this week. Of course, my mum, being an avid knitter, took great pains to prepare for knitting on the airplane. She tested many models of pens and pencils before settling on a particular clutch pencil as the perfect knitting substitute, since they don't let knitting needles on airplanes, as we all thought we knew. She determined that her pencils were US size 11 needle equivalents and went to her LYS to find some wool she could knit into a simple scarf on size 11s to keep her occupied on the flight.
When she arrived at the airport she asked (just in case), could she take her knitting needles (meaning her bamboo circs) onto the plane. She found out later that she should have asked could she take her knitting needles THROUGH SECURITY - this was the way the question was re-phrased by the person she initially asked when this person had to go and ask the question at subsequently higher-level management people.
Anyway, the answer finally was delivered from somewhere up high: knitting needles were fine, so long as they weren't the "self sharpened kind".
Now what on earth has ever given airline or airport security people the idea that knitting needles would come in 'self-sharpened' versus 'non-self-sharpened' ??? And what exactly makes the 'self-sharpened' kind (whatever that is) more dangerous than the 'non-self-sharpened' kind, or for that matter, a pencil?

There is knitting news to share, particularly my birthday gift from mum - yes, wool - but that will have to wait for a day when I have a camera handy.
And to make up for the lack of photo (again, no camera) have a look at this historic pub just outside Sydney. It's a tradition to take mum for lunch there whenever she visits. It's a lovely place - well worth the trip - I recommend the ploughman's lunch...

PROLOGUE: In the end mum was able to use the bamboo circ's on the international flight but while here she has some domestic Australian flights during which she will have use the pencil stand-ins.