No question is stupid!!
It means a total of two (if you double your single strand of floss, put the cut ends through the needle, leave the loop where the floss is doubled, then start your first half of your stitch, then after you go down, catch the loop and snug the stitch. You will have a smooth beginning, with no knots, or thread ends to make sure are caught in. )

Now for the second part of your question. I try to never buy kits, but that is my preference. Most kits come with Aida cloth, & I don't like using that. But, sometimes that is the only way to get the pattern you want. Secondly, I won't use the floss that comes in a kit, unless it is DMC. I usually will just match the colors up with my own. Then I give the floss & the cloth to my granddaughter.
You could try washing the floss to get the sticky residue off.

You actually could do it either way. However, I have found that when you use a single strand in the needle and then double it over with one knot that it doesn't always pull thru evenly and you might get a little loopiness in your stitch. Usually when they suggest you use two stands, they mean for you to use two single strands thru the needle, put a knot at the end of one pair of strands and leave the other pair free. I find that this usually makes you stitches more even and they lay flatter. I know that this is contrary to what you might think but it tends to work best.

PS There are no stupid questions - just opportunities to learn.

There is no such thing as a stupid question, just a question that hasn't been asked. :)
Out of a 6-strand piece of floss, I pull two strands out and those are the two strands that I thread through the eye of the needle and leave about a 1/2' tail. The other ends of the 2 strands I do NOT knot, but I make sure the ends are even, then I begin stitching. If I need to anchor the ends of the two threads on the back of the fabric, I stitch over them as I'm making my cross stitches. This is the way I do it. So, probably should have only TWO strands of floss that are making your "X's", two strands this
way / and the same two strands the other way \ so you have one complete cross stitch X.

I used to do "kits" years ago and became frustrated with the lack of quality materials, so that I began my '"stash" and buy my PATTERNS, my own floss (usually DMC), my own fabrics (started with 14 Aida and have graduated to the 25, 28, 30 count EVENWEAVE fabrics such as Jobelin and Lugana. The evenweave allows all my cross stitches to be exactly the same height and width. These are MY preferences. I'm sure there are some nice kits out there but I like to have the control of choosing which fabric to do on which pattern. The ONLY time I will buy a KIT anymore is if I love the pattern enough in the kit and there is no option to buy it in pattern form. Then when I receive the kit, I put the kit's needle, fabric and floss away and get my own fabric and use my own floss. AGAIN, these are MY choices, some people swear by kits, I just happen not to be one of them..:)

I gotta say...knots are not common in cross stitch except as a waste knot and the loop method, while easy, is not usually the first traditional method taught to newbies. That being said, do it however it pleases you, but there are are plenty of places with how-to's....Artecy.com, The Scarlet Quince...they have pictures, drawings, and good info for the new enthusiast.

You are going to find as many opinions as names on this chat...And that is as it should be. :) Welcome! We love all comers! :)

First of all, I must say a huge and heartfelt THANK YOU for everyone that responded with such helpful advice!! I have to say, I have never received such constructive replies and warm welcomes on any other message board in my life! You're all wonderful!:)

So, I took your advice to use the two strands and avoid knots, and my stitching looks 100% better! I'll also use much less floss, which is amazing since I'm on a very tight budget. My budget is also my primary reason for buying kits, but I also get a lot of supplies given to me by the fabulous ladies who go to my mother-in-law's senior center, so I've started to hoard materials. The novelty of knowing a boy who cross-stitches tends to make it stand out in peoples' minds, so I've got quite a collection of hoops, floss, scrap fabrics and even an antique sewing kit from France that I absolutely adore. :)

The Bucilla kit that I began with was very low quality, and they refused to service it for me when I ran out of certain colors, so I abandoned it after I had reached a point of being happy with my stitches and confident in my technique. My partner then bought me a beautiful kit from MCG Textiles, though he bought the most elaborate one I've seen to date, The Disney Dreams Collection Little Mermaid by Thomas Kincaide. I'm certain I can handle it, but learning French knots is a must, and using Aida fabric without a hoop may prove a bit irritating for me. I love the holes in Aida fabric, but the stiffness and not being able to use a hoop definitely is an issue.

I'm more excited at the prospect of doing the Anne of Cleves pattern from this site, though. And the Alphonse Mucha patterns make me swoon. Lol