Hey! With knots: if you get a knot that has a loop in it, try stick your needle into the loop and pulling it up. this is hard to explain, but basically, let the knot part hang down from your needle, and use the needle to pull up on the loop part. Sometimes this helps. Source: Former very serious cross-stitcher and occasional embroiderer. It's fun the things you learn other people used to do, isn't it? I like how into crafting you are. I am going to work on my decoupage post now. I feel bad for having not. I second jadedog's recommendation for beeswax, though I have learned this more from book binding than anything else. Also seriously, just get you a trillion needles. Sewing needles and deodorant are similar in that you can never have too many of them scattered about your house. Also I am hoping you can provide a nice close up picture or two of the backstitch, that is the only part I am having trouble conceptualizing. Can you talk more about that? Your stitches just straight are big, but hey, who cares that much? First try!
Here's the video for the backstitch that I do. Basically I make three or four stitches, then go back to the very last stitch I made and start again from there. Go to the Five Minute, Ten Second Mark. These people talk too much. There needs to be a man tutorial. Each one would take less than two minutes. It'd go like this . . . First Minute: Here's the supplies you need Second Minute: Here's what you do. Done.
I'm stuck at work now, when I get home I'll try to link to the video where I learned the backstitch technique I'm using. :) I used to cross stitch too and I'm thinking of getting back into that as well. I don't think I ever had a problem with knots with that though, if only becausey thread was so much shorter. I'll have to try the needle technique, but I think I might need to be careful. The needle I'm using is pretty thin and fragile. I'm really looking forward to your decoupage post. I live seeing what other people make. You should throw in a bonus cross stitch pic or two as well. They're probably awesome. :)