Another method:
*Use 1 strand, fold in half and put the fold through the eye of the needle. Pull thread down so loop is the longer side. *Begin cross stitch - pull needle up from bottom then down to make first half of the “x”.
*Run needle through the loop and pull snug.
*This is first stitch ONLY, not every stitch. The result is no knot on backside so it’s neater.
*When my thread is used, I run the needle under a few stitches on the backside then cut.
*No knots ever.