16 June 2011

Armed and Dangerous

Kid 2 is 10. She likes many things, including but not restricted to: reading, listening to music, singing, watching Buffy, Doctor Who and Glee, playing baseball and - right now - knitting. She is thrilled because she has now mastered casting on, knit and purl. The other day, she packed her knitting to take to school - lunchtime is very dull when it's raining outside and everyone is forced to sit in the  hall.

She was told by the Acting Principal that she had to put it away and not bring it in again because 'knitting needles are dangerous'. Terrorist threats are well known in a primary school of 200 kids in the inner west of Sydney. On that basis, children should not be able to bring forks with their packed lunches either, and I think pencils and rulers ought to be banned also ...

5 comments:

materfamilias said...

Too ridiculous for words! Even the airlines have realized that knitting needles are no more dangerous than someone's pen or pencil. But wow, talk about giving knitting the allure of the forbidden.

I'm impressed, btw, to find that your daughter loves watching Buffy. Do you watch together? I'm a huge fan, watching for the umpteenth time as I guide Paul through the series (own all the DVDs).

Rubi said...

I think that Acting Principal might just have a future in the Dept. of Homeland Security. Perhaps you could encourage him to emigrate?

Tiffany said...

I know, mater, it makes knitting seem positively subversive, doesn't it? And yes, Kid 2 has been introducing me to the pleasures of Buffy - Spouse doesn't get it, so it's a sneaky thing we do on school holidays. I LOVE it!

Rubi, AP is a woman (who doesn't like me or my love of 'craft', so there is subtext there too) - but yes, we have often considered that she has a future as an enforcement agent of some variety :)

Mardel said...

That is crazy. Even during the airline crisis here, most airlines allowed knitting needles if I cleared them through security, and I carried short needles or circulars.

I'm a huge fan of Buffy too, and go through phases of watching it again (and again)

I used to make the same argument about other dangerous items though, including shoe laces...

Tiffany said...

Mardel, I once had my knitting needles confiscated on a flight and had a big argument with security - then pointed out that they'd missed the scissors that were in the same knitting bag ...