New to Cross Stitch! Is this right?

Hello fellow stitcher! I’ve begun working on my first ever cross stitch, the Pascha basket cover. As a mom to 4 little ones, and another on the way, I need as much of a head start as I can get before next Pascha 😝

I am nearing the end of the first side edge and noticing that the space left at the bottom will be larger than the four inches indicated at the top by the pattern, and I’m left wondering if I have done my spacing incorrectly! Ack!

When two cross stitches share corners, should their corners pass through the same hole, or should I have left a thread between them? Does my spacing look alright?

Thanks in advance!