HI Barbara,
Welcome to knitting!
That's an ambitious undertaking. Are you using the Lion Brand cable afghan pattern that's out there right now?
1. there are all kinds of aids on the market to help count rows - from row counters that slide onto the needle and you advance the count at the end of every row to little chochkes that sit on the table and you click it at the end of a row. A Very simple but effective way to keep track of your row count so that you know when to twist your cables is to use a chain (or make a thread/yarn loop chain). The loop in the chain should be large enough to slide onto your needle but not so large that it gets in the way. You'll want as many links as your repeat - in this case I'd probably use two "chains", one of 13 loops and one of 18.
As you complete a row you simply slide the chain off and advance it a link and slide it back onto your needle. When you reach the end of the links it's time to twist your cable. Since you're knitting back and forth and not in the round, you'll need to advance the chain at the beginning of your right side rows and at the end of your wrong side rows, so effectively you're moving it two links when you turn your work (hope that makes sense).
2. Crocheting your strips together is an acceptable method of joining strips, However, ... you'll end up with ridges that you may not be pleased with in your joins. All you can do is experiment with it.
3. I'd wait to block it until all the strips are sewn together. You'll probably want to knit a ribbed or garter stitch border all around the edges to keep it from rolling after it's sewn together too - so keep aside some yarn to do so.
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