I tried hand quilting without a hoop, but was not satisfied with the quality of my stitches. Was not successful trying to juggle a hand hoop either. What works for my is a lap hoop. The type I have is no longer made, I think -- it swivels on a ball. It is very easy to adjust the angle, and nothing impedes my underneath hand. The lap hoop frees up both of my hands for quilting. The closest lap hoop to mine is probably the Grace lap hoop:
http://www.graceframe.com/site/hoops/laphoops
Edit: I agree with keeping the quilt very loose in the hoop. A common mistake of beginners is to hoop the quilt drum-tight. The rule-of-thumb is to be able to move the center of the quilt back and forth the distance of your fist (about 4" each way). This allows you to manipulate the fabric as well as the needle (similar to quilting without a hoop).