little help?

[damn-tatterhood.livejournal.com]

Well, craftgrrls and bois, the time has come for this little lurker to remove herself from the shadows and throw herself on the mercy of her fellow crafters.

I recently got hired to teach English as a second language in Japan. I leave in early September, which I'm incredibly stoked about. Thing is, reading up on the carryon guidlines for United Air, I'm not allowed anything sharp and/or pointed. This includes knitting needles, crochet hooks and safety pins. Pastes, liquids and gels are out, too, so there goes stuff like glue, although that strikes me as messy anyway.

So here I am, faced with a fifteen- to seventeen-hour trip with nothing to keep my hands busy. Travesty! I'm thinking of bringing along some precut lengths of hemp and a few beads to make some jewelry, but that's all I can think of.

Any ideas, folks?