a mrrp on loom knitting and socks

When I knit using needles, I generally do the toe and heel one of two ways, depending on which direction it was going. With toe-up, which was my preferred direction (but it depended of course on the pattern), I generally used Turkish cast-on for the toes, which is kind of like figure 8 caston but easier and doesn't involve half the stitches casting on twisted; and then short-row heel, which I didn't really like but I hadn't found a good alternative to. With top-down, I did the heel-flap-and-gusset thing as described here, which I found easier than short-row stuff, and then grafting the toes.

But there's this thing where I can't use needles any more.

(I'm trying to figure out if there's a way I can -- some sort of tong grip I can use with my left hand to hold the needle closer to my right hand, or something -- because I really miss needle knitting. Loom knitting is not the same.)

And the only information I've found for loom-knitting socks?

Short-row heels and toes.

That's it.

*whine*

I can maybe invent a way to do toe decrease and grafting (the graft part will be loose all the way through and I'd have to be careful about how to tighten it), but not the heel flap and gusset thing, nor any equivalent to turkish/f8 cast on, and I just. *whimper* I don't much like short-row stuff, plus it's kind of boring doing the same thing each time.

(my life is hard, woe, etc.)