I have attempted to resize these pictures several times, even to the point of erasing and redoing them in the blog entry. I'm hoping that it's just a glitch that I still see them as huge but the rest of the world can see them at a managable size. 

I frequently either see directions calling for switiching back and forth between circulars and DPNs, or hear people asking about how many different sizes (cable length, not needle size) of circulars they need for any given project.  I'm here to say you don't need to use DPNs and you only need one length of circulars.  There are other sites with cool tools like videos, but this is my own feeble attempt to demonstrate how EASY it is to tuck the cable and knit even just a very few stitches on regular circs.   I assume that if you are planning to knit a very long item that is only a few stitches (and isn't an I-cord) there may be a better way.  but I'm not sure what that would be.  This technique is to keep you from switching from DPNs to circs and from one length of circ to another.

When it comes to tucking the cable and knitting very few sts, the rule is, the longer the better. 20" or 24" is better than 16", and 12" will be almost impossible.  You want to have a lot of slack to pull and tuck and twist. 

I'm assuming that you already understand the basics of knitting in the round.

I knit continental, so if you knit the other way, my hands are going to be in the wrong place. That's ok.  You really need to try continental knitting anyway.

Cast on.  These next few pictures show the beginnings of a hat that starts with 8sts and adds every other round.  

you can see all 8 sts on the needles; 3 have just been knit over, one is in the process, and 4 are in "limbo."   I will now have 4 on the right needle and 4 on the cable.  the next step is to slide 4 on the cable up onto the left needle (my working needle), they will be parallel with the ones on the right needle. Then I will slide the right needle straight up, leaving those sts on the cable, but still held right next to the sts about to be worked.   So, 4 sts on the left needle, a loop of cable, then the 4 right sts, more loose cable, and then the empty right needle.  Once you knit a stitch or two from the left needle to the right one, you will have a tripod, like this:

With this pattern, I will add on enough sts to eventually just be knitting in the round  as usual.  

Next I'll show you a project that uses the tripod for the whole thing.   As far as I know, the only other way to do this would be to use DPNs. I personally do not like them.  I have many small children, I frequently have to toss my knitting aside to tend to them, or even worse, remove my knitting from their tender little hands.  Anything on DPNs would not fare well with this sort of treatment.   Here, I am putting a decorative cuff on gloves.  These are tiny children's size gloves and the wrist is only a few inches.   I pick up stitches the whole way around, then knit 4 or 5 rows just continuing to move the extra loop of cable as I go.

I've drawn a line so you can see where the cable is (since you can't see it through that fuzzy yarn!)

by keeping a loop of cable on each side and keeping the stitches in this tripod formation, I have plenty enough slack to work, and the stitches are not unduly stretched.

The first pictures showed beginning a project , this set shows how to end a project without switching.  This hat pattern begins with approx 70 sts (depending on size and yarn weight) and ends with about 7 sts.  I do it all on the same needle.

this veiw still has about 20 sts on it, but it shows the tripod.  The last picture will show the finished hat top.

The application I usually see people wondering about is legs on longies.  Depending on your pattern, this may be around 40 sts or so.  With this many sts, it is TOO EASY to use these techniques.  (yes I admit that doing only 5 or 8 sts is tricky if you are unfamiliar with it)  Don't go get a bunch of different lengths of circular needles just to make your longies legs... save the $$ and get more WOOL!