Netherlands

The easy to keep from losing your cross-stitch needles, is to glue a magnetic strip to the inside of the box you keep your embroidery floss and other accessories.
It is very important to double check your counting. It is called counted cross stitch, isn't it? If even one missing stitch in important area can destroy the project. So please, check your counting before you start the stitching. It's worth it.

Nobody likes to rip out stitches. But it would be better if you fix them right away. If you wait, the error may increase and the damage for your cross-stitch project may increase too.

In order not to lose the needles for cross-stitching, you can glue the magnetic strip to the inner lid of the box in which you hold the embroidery threads and other cross-stitch accessories. You will no longer lose them and you will can easily find the right needle.

If you are stitching using aida cloth that already has holes, you don’t need super sharp needles. More then that, you should prefer the rounded tip of a tapestry needle to ensure you don't accidentally split the fiber you're stitching with.

You want the cross-stitch to be the most beautiful.
The keyword for it is consistency of your stitching. It doesn't matter if you start your embroidery with "///" or with "\\\", it is important how you continue it. Just be consistent throughout the needlework project.