To keep floss from twisting, drop the needle so it and the floss hang free from the fabric and let it unwind itself. Reminds me of the extra long coiled phone cords years ago, where you had to drop free the receiver to let it unwind.

All cross stitches should have the top stitch of a full cross stitch going in the same direction. There are a lot of videos on youtube that show many tips. And, at about.com, there is an entire booklet you can print out, that is very well.written with valuable info about cross stitch.

I amnot an employee of ECS, just another stitcher in this chat.

crodgers, if you are still struggling with the technique then an easier pattern might be a better starting point. Railroading also helps.