Let Us Count the Ways

1. The right size (and length!) needle is always at hand.  There's nothing more frustrating than being ready to cast on, only to discover that your needle collection is missing the size you need.  Or, even worse, that you have the exact right needle, but there's a project on it already.  With an interchangeable set, you can "park" your stitches on a spare cable and use those tips right now!  You also no longer have to wonder if you have 7's in 24" AND 32".
2. Use two different size tips on one cable.  Some people purl more loosely than they knit, and that can be remedied by wrapping a smaller needle on the purl rows.  Interchangeables make using this trick a breeze.  There are also some patterns that call for different sized needles on alternate rows.  Using interchangeable needles means you wouldn't have to keep track of multiple needles for that project.
3. Grow your needle collection without knowing what you'll need ahead of time.  Since you can put many sizes of tip on the cables, each time you get a new cable you are expanding your collection far beyond the one needle you might have bought otherwise.
4. Hold stitches on spare cables.  Instead of slipping stitches to waste yarn to be held, slide them onto a spare cable.  They won't stretch as far out of shape, and getting them back onto the needles for knitting later is as easy as reattaching tips.
5. Try on your WIPs quickly and easily.  Part of the joy of making a top-down sweater is trying it on to make sure it's fitting properly.  However, transferring stitches to waste yarn and back or putting your stitches onto a handful of circulars is tedious at best.  Use a cable connector to attach a long cable, and simply slide your stitches over for a quick try-on whenever you like.  Added bonus:  swap out your needles for end-stoppers and quit accidentally dropping stitches during the fitting process.

Because we love interchangeable needles so much, we are going to start highlighting a different set each Monday here on the Community Blog.  Each company has its strengths and weaknesses, and we'll give you our honest opinion so you can make the choice that's best for you.