Packing is being completed for our trip to Stitches East in Hartford, Connecticut, which runs from Thursday October 10th to Sunday October 14th. A truck is taking the product and Daniella, Laura and I will be flying. Many of you ask if needles can be brought on flights and we always say that we have never had any problem BUT that the TSA has the final say so and if you look like the person who stole the true love of the TSA agent you might have issues.
Recently I was on a flight to Dallas from Chicago on American Airlines and whose problems regarding cancellations, delays and loose seats have been widely reported. I had gone down early for a 3:30 flight hoping for a seat on an earlier flight but the terminal was filled with unhappy passengers whose flights had been cancelled or delayed. It was so sad seeing people who were trying to get to weddings or funerals or just on important business. As my flight was all boarded the very last thing that is done is to close the door through which we had all just walked. I could see that the pilot was out and looking down and that the flight attendants were all huddled by the door. Apparently there was something stuck in the groove in which the door needed to slide to close. Then I heard, “If only we had a screwdriver!” But there was no response.
A flash came through my mind of the old movie “Airplane” where the flight attendant saves the day. Also I knew that plenty onboard wanted to get going. I grabbed in my bag and jumped up and asked “Will this work?” As I walked forward one of the woman passengers said, “We need a knitting needle” which is exactly what the size 4 circ I had in my hand was. The pilot took it and got on the floor trying to pry the stuck item out. I walked back to my seat only to hear, “We need something bigger!” Another grab for a size 7 which they also tried. At this point I could not help thinking how great I would look in a Super Woman costume for Halloween.
Me a hero to one and all… ah the fantasy. 
Alas,
the item had been wedged in so much that the whole apparatus needed to
be taken apart. Maintenance was called, pieces were disassembled and
finally we took off. The head flight attendant brought me the thing that
was causing the trouble which looked like the broken end of a small
Christmas light. How it could have gotten in the exact spot to stop the
door is a mystery. My chance at being a heroine evaporated. After the
flight landed the flight attendant let me take a picture of her with the
needle they used.
So the moral to the story is to always be prepared to be Super Woman. And if you are on one of our flights to Stitches there is backup help for any disasters that can be saved by a knitting needle!