I crochet at home because I can't sit still. It's meditation. But you can't haul an afghan on a plane, so I do cross stitch when I fly. The needle's are fine, at least mine were as of last May. I just got really good at biting off string with my teeth .

Liz has great suggestions for the sickness. Also, were you sick at the beginning of the flight or nearer the end? If the end, dehydration may have been part of it...keeping water handy throughout might help you from getting the queezies. If at the beginning, well, then you probably won't want anything on your tummy.

Worst flight I ever had was a transatlantic one where a flu bug kicked in about an hour and a half before boarding. Someone was looking out for me, I had an aisle seat a row from the toilet. Spent most of the flight in there either being sick or feeling sorry for myself. You might keep that in mind when choosing your seat. If you can't be graceful about it, at least you can be private .

Good luck!!

G