Cancun airport security debacle

Who tries to fly on a plane with SIX circular knitting needles? Only someone who has flown so often with her knitting and never once had a problem that she is waaaay too complacent.

So Cliff and I took off from Denver to Riviera Maya, Mexico. In my carry-on I took two knitting projects: two socks on four metal Knitpicks circulars and a Noro scarf on one plastic Denise circular. No problem with security, and one of the flight attendants, who is also a knitter, stopped by and chatted about knitting with me during the flight.

We spent ten lovely days in Riviera Maya and then went to Cancun for the return flight. This time instead of five circulars, I carried on six — the four for my two socks, the Denise circular, and an Options circular the same size as the Denise because I had forgotten to transfer the Noro scarf to the plastic needles. So I just threw everything in my tote:

Crochet hook, markers, dental floss for cutting yarn, and six circulars. What was I thinking?!!!

Security would not let any of the needles through, not even the plastic Denise needles. The inspectors made me remove my knitting from the needles, which I did carefully but quickly so as not to antagonize anyone.

And then I stood there and looked at the pile of needles that were going to be trashed. Needles are easy enough to replace, but they seemed like a part of me, laying there all sad and stripped and jumbled together in a heap — artwork for loneliness. I must have looked wistful because the inspector told me that I could keep the needles if we were to leave the security area, check the tote as luggage, and go through security again.

The male inspector did examine my Denise needles at the join, twist off the cable, and give me the cable to keep. Bless his heart. Unfortunately, I had already removed my work. I considered strangling someone with the cable put the lonely cable in my purse with the crochet hook he allowed me to keep. But you can’t make knitting mistakes that require a crochet hook to remedy if you have no knitting in your hands.

I guess crochet enthusiasts don’t have these problems.

Cliff, my every patient husband, offered to check my tote. I threw the needles and the plastic bags of knitting back in the tote and prayed I wouldn’t lose too many rows as the canvas tote got loaded onto the plane and swished between suitcases. He exited security, waited in the United line, and checked the tote. Fortunately, we weren’t at our quota for bags and were able to do that.

So instead of knitting during the flight home, I was either watching the in-flight movies or working Merl Reagle crossword puzzles (which I do love) and kicking myself for being so confident that knitting needles would be okay. I remember when I used to be so worried about flying with knitting, but after so many flights with no issues, I barely even thought about it beforehand this time.

Now I know to plan more carefully when I travel outside the US. Anyway, it ended fine. After I got home, I put the work back on the needles with no problem, but I was very glad that I hadn’t taken my Clapotis-in-progress, because those twisted stitches and markers would have been a pain to set up again and there might be some exceptionally objectionable language rocking our neighborhood.

From now on, I will also insert lifelines into my work before flying, as I used to do when I was more sensibly prepared for security checkpoints.