cats

When I was teaching myself to crochet, I used Good Knit Kisses' videos for the basic stitches. Her tut's made it make sense. (she also does knitting, and loom knitting tutorials, and a few others. Patterns I like? the linen stitch is great, the thermal stitch is also useful (I made myself a neck gator using the thermal stitch.... SOOO warm.), and certain people I know like the marshmallow stitch.

One thing about crocheting is that it's very... adaptable. And it's perfectly okay if it's got that "handmade by a toddler" touch (okay, I keep telling myself that.)

Things aren't going to be quite perfect, but focus on consistency more than being perfectly tight. Once you're consistent, then focus on getting a tighter (or looser) stitch.

Some great projects to start on that aren't scarves or hats (and no, I'm not knocking those, but, uh, there's only so many you want to make,) are potholders (use 100% cotton yarn- lily and cream is a popular brand there,); or wash/dish cloths (scratchy acrylic is wonderful at getting stuck on stuff off a nonstick pan.). Mittens are also fairly easy to do, depending on how complicated you want to get. Gloves, on the other hand, are torture. (okay, maybe not torture, but, they're significantly less easy.)

(IIRC, the square up there is a "granny Square" which you usually make a large number of then sew together to create a larger blanket. almost like a quilter's block.)

If you're feeling adventurous, or not worried about sticking with it, blankets are also great, and I've had a number of people ask after my laundry baskets . (for the record, in that video, you can see how she's trippling-up on the yarn, that's a great way to add bulk or make normal 4 weight yarn feel like heavier or "chunky" weight.) (Once you learn how to make a basket, it's really quite easy to go up in size. or down. if you want a floppy basket, it's the way to go. You can also make rectangular shaped bags by crocheting into the same stitch at the end of a foundation chain, and treating that like half-your round (but on both sides, so you get there eventually.)

Alternatively, you can always find patterns for stuffed animals. (Amigurumi- if that shows you how adaptable crochet is. If you're looking to make stuffed anything, crochet is going to give you a lot more freedom over knitting. and if that tickles your fancy bumble bees are a very simple first project. (you could also do hacky sacks, or something. Do people still play with hacky sacks? Did I just date myself...?)

Just a heads up.... the US and the UK have different (and confusing) terms for the basic stitches. What the UK calls a "Single" is what we in the US call a "double". our "single" is their "half". The primary difference between the stitches is how tall they are. GKK explains it quite better than I can.

Also as a side note, if you're trying to save a buck... and you happen to know someone who knits or crochets... You could ask if they have scrap yarn. The answer will range from "yes" with a bag chalk full of old yarn... to "yes" with several bags. Depends on how long they've been at it.