A Few Choice Words from Seattle/Tacoma Airport
For the parents of the dozens of little children on spring break who keep sneezing and coughing on me.Whatever I catch from those ill-bred little bastards, I hope you catch double.
For the man who "forgot about" the hacksaw blade in his carry-on bag.Pray tell, what is the weather like on the planet from which you come?
For myself.Putting knitting needles in your carry-on is rather pointless when you pack all your yarn in your checked bag.
For airport concessionaires.Keep a couple pre-wound balls of Cascade 220 and a few pairs of size fives behind the counter, for knitters who aren't very bright in the morning. You could charge fifty bucks a ball. We'd pay it.
But you will be home soon and I think we have some yarn here! - Tom
ReplyDeleteI felt your pain, in the Denver airport, then in Houston.
ReplyDeleteA hacksaw blade. Huh. They are pretty little, though. I think a knitter could do more damage with a circ.
ReplyDeleteOooh, now I'm imagining an enterprising businessperson setting up little yarn kiosks in airports across the country. That would make the whole flying experience *so* much nicer, wouldn't it?
ReplyDeletewhy for the love of wool would anyone need a hacksaw blade in their carry on or anywhere except in their toolbox???
ReplyDeleteI'd drop $50 for yarn at the airport if I'd accidentally put it all in my checked bag.
ReplyDeleteI've felt your pain in several airports, surprising, it's usually the smaller ones (for me anyway) that have been the worst. Maybe because bigger hubs have more to distract teenagers and kids.
I totally know the feeling! When I forget my knitting, I get out the Ipod and catch the latest knitting blogs or podcasts. It's not the same, but it helps. No internet? Then you start to pray that there's a bit of knitting content in that little magazine in the seat pouch.
ReplyDeleteAnd all the kids who didn't get to go to the airport and on great trips...yah they are here, with me til further notice. *sigh*
ReplyDeleteNext time, wander the terminal until you see another knitter, then buy some yarn from him/her. That will improve the flying experience for both of you.
ReplyDeleteCatbookmom
Oh Franklin - what were you thinking?!!!! I'd rather go w/o underwear than to pack the yarn in the wrong bag!
ReplyDeleteMaybe you were supposed to be reading/designing instead of knitting ... just sayin'
An airport yarn store... brilliant! Except so many knitters would probably miss their flights from spending too much time in there...
ReplyDeleteFrom now on I'm going to always carry some extra yarn and needles, just in case I come across a poor soul in dire need.
ReplyDeleteI hope you get home soon, and without killing anyone.
Deep breathing and strong drinks. Be strong. :)
ReplyDeleteA yarn kiosk in every airport is a brilliant idea. You would need kits complete with pre-wound yarn, pattern & needles or crochet hooks so a knitter running for a plane can grab-and-go. Hmmm, I'm sensing a business opportunity here...
ReplyDeleteI think having yarn is a good idea. Complete kits, no - we don't need frustrated beginners on airplanes - but you could rent a crochet hook to a knitter who just needed it to fix a stitch right now.
ReplyDeleteHah! Such a sad face. What did you do with all that spare time? I feel for you. Nice glasses, too!
ReplyDeleteThis is one of those rare moments when I thank God that my mom pushed me to ALWAYS carry a purse. There is ALWAYS at least one WIP in there!
ReplyDeleteYou are SOOOOO right, Franklin! (on all counts!)
ReplyDeleteOK, I'm off to knit on your behalf. Nothing I wouldn't do for a friend. It's a sock, lovely Jitterbug yarn, size 1 dpns. Enjoy vicariously. (love the glasses).
ReplyDeleteSeatac is not the greatest place to be stuck in. I live in Washington and every time I have been, it drains the life out of me. Silver lining though, they didn't used to allow knitting needles at all... hang in there!
ReplyDeleteOh, I can see it now: an observant Homeland Security airport employee notices the bereft visage of a passenger, leans over and goes, "Pssst, say, buddy, want...YARN?" Oh, the undercover money-making possibilities!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the self portrait of "Knitter, Adrift"
(The parents will get it all back doubled. I know.) Still doesn't help with the yarn.
ReplyDeleteDon't worry about those parents, they will get whatever the little ones have, double, and once the kids are better and full of energy. Nothing like wrangling those little stinkers when you feel like crud. At least mine didn't present as sick while we were at the airport last week, though I'm sure they were contagious. Whee.
ReplyDeleteI think I will carry extra yarn & needles from now on (supposing that I remember to pack my own, that is). I could use some good karma, and who doesn't want to save a life?
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry! You'll be home soon, yes?
A hacksaw blade?
ReplyDeleteIn the good old days of yore (pre 9-11) my sister-in-law bought a machete in San Franisco. She had no trouble with it as a carry on.
It would of kept those snotty kids at bay.
obscure
should have sent up the "knit signal"-this Seattle knitter would have brought yarn!
ReplyDeleteThe mere thought of flying without something to knit is enough to make me twitchy. Hope you and your yarn are reunited soon!
ReplyDeleteI feel your pain. I also think Tom's comment might count as Most Tactful Ever...
ReplyDeleteoooh poor Franklin, not a good way to start an adventure!
ReplyDeleteOMG, Franklin! That look on your face is priceless.
ReplyDeleteOoh yarn shop with needles on the other side of security. Hmmmm
ReplyDeleteHey... aren't you a musician?
ReplyDeleteEvery knitters' nightmare, no knitting. We fly out tomorrow and I've double checked to make sure the needles and yarn are in the carry on. Thanks for the vivid reminder!
ReplyDeleteIf you can't find yarn in Seattle - well, let's just say - you're too dumb to knit.
ReplyDeleteOh wait, you're in Seattle? Hmmmm, Loopy Yarns is open until 7 tonight.
ReplyDelete"Portrait of a disappointed knitter"
ReplyDeleteI just stopped in to say I sqealed a bit when I saw you on CBS Sunday Morning.
ReplyDeletePoor baby.... My Canadian friend has been stopped by security as a terrorist because she left her knitting notes (for a self-designed sock) on the chair, and lately was not allowed ANYTHING on board. Had to take her key off the chain and her wallet and put them in a baggie and check everything else. No book. No knitting. Nothing.
ReplyDeleteAck! So sorry to hear that you are without your knitting!
ReplyDeleteAnd a hacksaw? Really?
Ouch. You could buy an overpriced t-shirt and make rag yarn...
ReplyDeleteHey, I could open a kiosk at PDX!
ReplyDeleteI'm so very sorry that you are going through that.. and yep the parents (including me) will get double, HOWEVER, I would certainly be making sure that my rugrats where not coughing/sneezing/weezing on anyone else.. that's just not right! REALLY sorry about the yarn, nothing will put me over the edge like not having the choice to knit when I need to!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the travel reminders. I must go take that hacksaw blade out of my carryon right now. And put in the knitting project I'll need for those mindless hours on the plane to Africa.
ReplyDeleteI feel your pain! I once had to spend the entire day at SeaTac airport with no knitting because I foolishly packed all my knitting in my checked bag because "it's only an hour flight"...from which I was bumped and then waited 10 hours for the next one! I will never do that again.
ReplyDeleteI think there's a "Where's Waldo?" movie in the works. Send that photo to your agent and have him/her work Hollywood like Silly Putty until you get the part!
ReplyDeleteAnd as for the knitting dilemma, wasn't there SOMETHING in your carry-on that you could have unraveled for knitting yarn?
Looks like Jieun and others had a fabulous time during your class yesterday. I can't wait to see her so I can hear how it was!
ReplyDeleteUh, yeah, snotty noses in an airport. Yuck!
Oh oh oh! That's so sad! Because the travel knitting is the silver lining in the travel, that's for sure. I wonder if an airport LYS would do any good business? I could see some crazed cell-phone-a-thon salesperson just chilling with a garter stitch scarf...and wouldn't that be much better than hearing him call every person he knows just because he is bored and his flight is delayed? Instead of "Hey, it's me. Jim. What's up? Yeah, just stuck at the airport..." it would be: "Hey, Nana. It's Jim. Can you remind me how to do a provisional caston? Thanks, Nana--you're the best."
ReplyDelete1. Tom is full of win.
ReplyDelete2. I didn't know my Dad was flying with you! (He forgot a knife and a plane--the kind for shaping wood, not flying on--in his carry-on. They only noticed on the return flight._
OMG! Was there not one knitter around? I would share if a strange, err I mean, unknown knitter came up to me with needles and no yarn!
ReplyDeleteI've really wanted to set up a tiny yarn shop in an airport. If you did it like a kiosk, then one side could be patterns (specific to the types of yarn you carry) and the other side could carry something like Cascade 220, an attractive fingering or dk weight yarn, and a lace weight. Needles in a drawer.
ReplyDeleteIt wouldn't be hard to set up, but I'm not sure it is affordable for any of the businesses to be in the airport, much less a yarn shop.
This is exactly why I don't fly. Where I go my yarn goes. But then, you've been accosted on the train if I remember right. Setting a bad example and all that you...you...knitter.
ReplyDeleteYou have described my worst nightmare - a long flight with no knitting. Eek! An airport yarn kiosk would be unlikely to survive financially but we fiber folk should band together and form a Knitters' Rescue Network for unfortunate souls who find themselves in your predicament...
ReplyDeleteYou're just stuck in the wrong airport...The airports at Keflavik, Iceland and Vagar on the Faroe Islands both carry lots of local yarn! And the brewery in the Faroes has a gorgeous ram as its logo. Great country!
ReplyDeleteYou should've come found me, I was in Concourse C, just 2 Concourses away. I would've let you have some of that black yarn I'm using for my sweater. At least you made it home.
ReplyDeleteI have forgotten my toothbrush, my hairbrush, my curling iron, my nightgown, even a my drivers license once, but so far I have NEVER forgotten my knitting, at least not yet. I always pack that first, the night before. LOVE LOVE LOVE the idea of yarn stores at airports!
ReplyDeleteI've been trying to convince my boss at the LYS for YEARS that she should open a chain of airport kiosks that sell small carry on-able knitting kits...she's not ready to expand though.
ReplyDeleteyou crack me up and brighten my day! Thanks so much!
ReplyDeleteGood grief it IS true!
ReplyDeleteMy goodness what big brown eyes you have!
ReplyDelete(said the big she-wolf. You Franklin are what we all sigh over, and say if only...)
Oops sorry, this is all about knitting. So, love the lace patterns dude! ;)
I1ve been known to turn back from the door if I forgot to put knitting in my bag, even if I "only" go to work, which is only two metrostops away... But what if it would get stuck between two station??? What if there is a fire alarm at work?
ReplyDeleteIf I would myself stranded in an airport withouth knitting??? Yeas I would pay much more to keep my sanity
My dad once forgot about a full set of chef's knives in his hand baggage... It's true, he does live on a special planet all his own. Slightly closer to Earth than my mom's planet, though.
ReplyDeleteSounds like my flight to/from Dallas went better than yours! :) I was able to knit both flights! Lucky me!
ReplyDeleteOMG, I should have recognized that look in your eyes. Waiting at the airport with NO knitting? Oh the pain I feel for you.
ReplyDeleteIt's been awhile since I've been to Sea-Tac - nice to know that nothing has changed.
ReplyDeleteYou're right about selling emergency yarn at the airport - I'm sure they'd sell a bag or two a week!
You look so young in that photo!
ReplyDeleteI so agree with the yarn/needles as concessionary. I scoured a book store once hoping to find a learn to knit book that included yarn and needles. Just something to hold in my hands and knit with. Please!
ReplyDeleteOMG! I SO LOVE this picture!!!!
ReplyDeleteI think I saw you yesterday when I was in Chicago. My daughter and I were walking back to the train after a tour of the Sears Tower and shopping. Corner of Lake and State St. around 3:30?
ReplyDeleteThis was our first trip to Chicago and we loved it.
OMG, I can't imagine getting on a plane without yarn and needles!!
ReplyDeleteI have to say I am very surprised that knitting needles are allowed on aircraft in the USA, for security reasons. I'm pretty sure that they would be confiscated by the airlines in Europe.
ReplyDeleteHey all you knitters stuck in airports without your knitting, check out Knit Outta the Box (www.knitouttathebox.com) - the knitting kits for the desperate knitter. I created them after I was stuck in the airport without my knitting. I've got them in hospital and gift shops across the country, but haven't convinced the airports yet that these would sell. I will persevere and hopefully you will see them in an airport near you, in the not so distant future.
ReplyDeleteAll I can say is if you're ever in Brisvegas, I won't forgive you if you don't drop in and say Hi.
ReplyDeletePoor dear. That flight must have been Hell with nothing to do but twiddle your thumbs, yearning for knitting....
ReplyDeleteFranklin, next time text me (Janice has my number). I will be your fallback girl, and I could've brought you more than 5's and 220's, I have a couple of bags of Rabbitworks here, and I'm about 35 min from the airport
ReplyDeleteAnd all the kids who didn't get to go to the airport and on great trips...yah they are here, with me til further notice. *sigh
ReplyDeleteNice picture men! thx.
ReplyDeleteThought of you Franklin on a recent flight from Seattle to Chicago - I was surrounded by constantly giggling rambunctious teenagers en route to London. I'm sure you could have thought of some choice comments.
ReplyDeleteHow about the no ice pick sign in Miami? That had me scratching my head!
ReplyDeleteYou should carry a laminated copy of that photo as proof that you really ARE a knitter, and you're not just being snide.
ReplyDeleteOh, I SO feel your pain. On a trip to Italy last fall I had a 12-hour layover in Atlanta and at the crack of dawn when I was checking over my backpack for the last time I decided my yarn and needles added too much weight(!). I am not a morning person and was obviously delusional. I was miserable not just in the airport but most of the way through the two-week trip (the yarn shop in Florence that my husband found via his iPhone had gone out of business), until finding a sweet shop in Lucca two days before we left. Relief! I told my husband about your post and he nodded, apparently glad to know it's not just me :-) Always enjoy your blog -- this is my first comment.
ReplyDeleteRe: packing yarn in checked bag
ReplyDeleteThat's why there's a "Sheepless in Seattle" board on Ravelry.
I just crack myself up.
Totally get it!!! The kids are a relection on their parents.
ReplyDeleteBeing without yarn, when traveling on a plane, can be nerve-wrecking!
Glad you are back.
I found a lot of worthwhile info here!
ReplyDelete