Hoop size?

I have been doing cross stitch for almost 40 years and I never use a hoop or any other device......just grab a hold of the fabric and stitch. When possible I prefer the sewing motion as opposed to the stab and pull action needed when using a hoop. For some reason my stitches generally come out even. Here is a photo of a Moira Blackburn sampler I recently completed.

I'm a huge fan of the good 'ol 6 inch beechwood hoop. It's really nice in the hand and you can move your work around so you're always stitching in the best position. Because I do so much sample stitching, I use QSnaps a lot to avoid hand fatigue but my preferred way to stitch is with a 6" hoop. I've never been able to stitch in the hand, too what it's worth😊

I have several different sizes that I use for different kinds of projects. My recommendation is to see what feels best in your hand. I usually use a fairly large hoop (10.5") but I think most use a smaller hoop. There's no right answer and it's really a matter of what feels easiest and most comfortable to you. There are also unicorns out there that stitch "in hand" without a hoop at all. I've tried that and found that my stitches were much nicer with a hoop.