Well, this topic sure brought alot of responses! In summary, It appears somewhat to be at the whim of the security officers, and where your going thru. I am certainly not going to try to get away with anything, and I wanted to be fairly sure I was going to follow the laws and not create problems-that's why I posed the question. I will plan to bring a dental floss container (I have a Johnson & Johnson) with a thin spool of thread in it, and a small needle (maybe a sz 9 between) and put it in my clear plastic tote with my hexagons and place it in the tray with my shoes to go thru screaning and hope for the best. I will pack scissors and more needles in my baggage. Thanks for all your suggestions-