Would You, Should You, On A Plane?
December 30, 2009, 07:14 PMAs you read this message, I’m probably sitting on a beach in Riviera Maya, Mexico, sipping a fruity drink with an umbrella in it, and applying copious amounts of sunscreen so I don’t look like an overcooked lobster when I come back to freezing Canada temperatures. I know, I know, you would sssooo cry for me if that happened! :P Anyway, I thought I would take this opportunity to blog about what you can bring with you on a plane, and about the crafty possibilities when it comes to beach crafting. Plane crafting will spare you from dying of boredom on overlong flight, and beach crafting… Well it could be fun, don’t you think? First, you should know that according to the TSA, you are not allowed to bring any scissors that have a metal pointed tips and a blade shorter than four inches in your carry-on. That does mean you ARE allowed to bring scissors that are meant for kids (i.e. with a rounded tip) and a short blade, so make sure to pack that. The only other items that are forbidden in terms of sharp objects are box cutters, knives, razor-type blades, etc., none of which I believe you will require for crafting. Though it may surprise you, knitting needles (even metal ones!) ARE allowed on planes… I was totally happy when I found out, though it did make no sense to me, as I know a very angry Muggle version of Molly Weasley could probably manage to kill Bellatrix Lestrange with metal knitting needles, but hey! If the TSA says yes, I say SSSSSSSSSQQQQQQQQQQUUUUUUUUUUE So, let’s summarize, shall we? On a plane, you can crochet, make jewels, knit, do needlework (cross-stitching, plastic canvas, embroidery, etc.), sew, and make other crafts that don’t require knives or x-actos. Obviously, bear in mind that space on the plane *is* limited, so it might not be a good idea to bring anything big that you’ll have to spread over your seat neighbors! As for beach crafting, well I’d suggest that you don’t bring anything that requires a hard surface to work on (though you could bring a project like that for evening time crafting in your hotel room!). Also, I don’t know about you, but I really hate knitting with sweaty, oily hands, so I’d scratch crochet and knitting from the list (though again, it can be good in your air conditioned room). And obviously, though it would be really fun to craft something like a Christmas ball in your room, you have to keep in mind that it might not be the best idea to bring highly breakable material in a luggage that will probably be tossed around a dozen times before you grab it back at the airport luggage claim. That means what may have been perfect Christmas balls when you left home may look fine embossing powder once you reach Mexico (or your sunny destination). Now you may wonder what I’ll be crafting. Well, though there were many interesting cross-stitching patterns in the needlework section here at Leaky Crafts, I decided to go for Muggle crafting instead and cross-stitch a family picture we took last January. The finished product will most likely be over 30,000 stitches on 22 count aida, so I’ll be sure to be busy enough that the plane ride will go by really fast and I’m sure my holidays will be very enjoyable too! On that note, I’d like to wish very Harry and crafty Holidays to you all! -- Crafty Witch Josée