Can I bring my knitting needles on a plane

A question we get asked time and again and that appears on every knitting forum or social media group is “can I bring my knitting in my hand luggage?” Will my needles be taken away from me at the security check in the airport and my beautiful knitting ripped off?

Over the years we’ve seen and heard this question asked so many times and the range of answers vary. Some people have confirmed they regularly fly with their knitting or crochet and never have a problem, while another will say their needles or hooks were taken from them at the very same airport. For a long time a search of an airlines website might say needles and hooks were permitted however you still had to figure out how to get them to the plane first. Crafters are imaginative people though and we’ve heard so many solutions on how to be able to sit back and knit or crochet while you fly. Ideas such as carrying your needles or hooks in a make-up bag so that they sit along with your brushes and don’t stand out when x-rayed or taping them to the vertical bars inside your carry on case. We’ve even heard of wearing your circular needle as a necklace until you get to your departure gate. From personal experience we’ve carried ours and happily knit while we flew with no problems at all.

So what is the real position about carrying your knitting or crochet in your hand luggage when you go on holidays? Yes or No? We decided to do a little research and see if we could get to the bottom of this burning question. Just in time Dublin Airport tweeted the good news that YES you can bring your knitting when travelling out of Dublin Airport.

So that’s good news, however what about elsewhere? The TSA (America) says that yes knitting needles are allowed however sharp objects must be wrapped when going through security. Gov.UK the UK website states that knitting needles are allowed in hand luggage. So looks like we’re good to go this Summer, although there are a few things to consider –
* Scissors – only very short blades permitted
* Small sharp crochet hooks might be considered a problem, so maybe leave the lace work at home
* Choose your project with care, you don’t want something with lots of colour changes or a difficult pattern when you’re travelling and you might want to leave the very long needles at home or risk nasty looks from the person beside you.
* Use a lifeline just in case!
Have you carried your knitting or crochet with you when travelling? What has your experience been? Let’s get a list together of which airports are crafter friendly.