What do Knitting Needles represent?

Anne-Marie’s knitting needles are symbolic of her combined femininity and physical prowess. Felix is surprised by the knitting needles as he thinks of knitting as stereotypically feminine and of Anne-Marie as not stereotypically feminine. As the security guards point out when Anne-Marie tries to take the knitting needles into the prison with her: they are sharp and could be used as a weapon, despite being associated with a stereotypically feminine activity. This is a metaphor for Anne-Marie’s character as a whole. Although she is an actress playing the part of a supposedly weak and innocent girl in the play, Anne-Marie herself has sharp edges that imply physical strength and the ability to cause harm if the need arises, just like the knitting needles.