Using Source Control with git and new projects

I'm new to SCM and I've managed to create and use a repository for an existing project. By following a variety of posts, I've done the following:

1) Created an account on Assembla

2) Used bash/git in my existing project directory to add, commit, and push the project

3) Used Source Control in XCode to pull, modify, commit, and push changes

Now I want to start a new projection Xcode, and it seems I have to go through the same steps, using a mixture of Xcode 4.2 and bash commands to get the new project into Assembla.

For example, I created a new space on Assembla "newjunk", started a new project in Xcode "newjunk" and did NOT check "create local git repository". I did not run any bash/git commands. In Xcode I cannot "push" because I did not "commit", and I can't "commit" because "no valid working copies were found".

Is this the only way to get a new project into a remote repository? Or can it all be done from within Xcode, and if so how?

EDIT: Note - I've tried these steps (modified for Assembla and Xcode 4.2) http://www.mindthe.net/devices/2011/04/28/12-steps-to-using-github-with-xcode-4/ which is how I got the "no valid..." message