how did you learn how to knit? Were taught personally? Is it possible for me to teach myself? What's the basic jumping off point? How do I even tell the difference between different types of yarn/string? How does that one little pattern get turned into an entire sweater?
I am such a noob 
:'(
* Knitting isn't hard. I'm not well-coordinated, and I learned.
* I was taught by an elderly babysitter when I was about 13.
* Teach yourself? Maybe -- there seem to be a lot of online instructional videos. I'm not great at visualizing, though, so I needed at least a little in-person instruction. You also have to practice.
* How to tell the difference between various types of yarn/string: Wander into a yarn store and fondle all the pretty, pretty skeins of various yarns. Failing that, wander into the knitting section of your local crafts store or drugstore.
* What to start with: Potholders, headbands, or some small, simple thing made with cheap yarn that won't matter if you don't do it right. Just knit something straight, and keep knitting till it feels sort of habitual.
* "The journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step." I've knitted a sweater (for a former boyfriend). You basically follow a simple software program, using knit stitch, purl stitch, increase stitches, decrease ditto, and bind off -- thousands of stitches over ~100 rows.
Knitting went through a hipster vogue a few years ago. They may have all moved on to making their own
home-fermented dill pickles or something, but poke around -- there may be some hipster knitting hangout in your neighborhood.
Good luck!
