Learning to Knit, the random advice collection

On a post recently where I showed the progress on the blanket, someone who wished to remain anonymous commented:

I've not ever been terribly interested in knitting, but after following your posts for the past year, my interest is piqued. But I'm a little intimidated, knitting just sounds, I don't know, HARD. Could you share how you began to knit, maybe suggest how a total newbie could dip her toe in? 

Now, I learned to knit as a kid, and I don't even know at what age (and Grandma doesn't remember either), so my how-to advice is not personally lived, if you see what I mean. But I have friends who have learned to knit in this crazy online era we are in, and even taught themselves from books and videos, so I do know it can be done! And, in fact, there are many different ways. Let me see what I can come up with.

First off, let me say:

• Knitting, like so many things, is going to be hard, or at least fiddly and confusing, at first, for most people. Good news: that will continue, every time you try a new technique! But sometimes, you'll find that you were building a thing up to be a bigger challenge than it really was. (Me: "That's all a yarnover is? Why was I afraid of them?")
• On the other hand, once you get the two basic stitches down (knit and purl), you can do just about anything. And you don't have to do anything you don't want to; I was in what I refer to as my squares-and-rectangles phase for years. For that matter, you don't even have to learn to purl right away. Nothing wrong with garter stitch.
• You're probably better off starting with at least medium-sized needles (say, US 7 or so) and yarn that goes with it (neither lace nor super bulky).
• Finding a pattern that you love the look of can be very motivating! Depending on the pattern, it may or may not be a good starter project, but if it isn't, look at it now and then to remind yourself why you want to learn.
• Ditto for yarn you love. You'll have plenty to learn about different characteristics of different fibers, but if you love it, you'll get something out of working with it, even as a beginner.
• Remember, everyone was a beginner once.

As to how to learn, various methods are available. People have different learning styles, so this advice is really not one-size-fits-all: if you don't really get it one way, try another.

In person

1. If you have a local yarn store anywhere nearby, I'd start with them. A lot of stores have learn-to-knit classes and/or drop-in sessions where you can get advice (some free, some not), and (hopefully) the knowledge and willingness to guide you. At the least, they should be able to give you advice on a good starter pattern, and the appropriate yarn and needles for it.

I would venture to guess that, in the US at least, Ravelry is pretty likely to have most yarn stores listed (I mean, I hope they do, anyway, that the stores know about Ravelry and want to be listed there), so you can go to this page and enter a location to see. Some big-box craft stores may also have classes.

2. Find knitters in the wild. Stitch-and-bitch groups vary tremendously, and you may not be able to find someone in one who is willing to teach you everything, but it can be a great way to get advice and support on an as-needed basis, as well as to meet people who will be delighted to listen to you when you get obsessed. Back to Ravelry, you can look for groups by area there, or you can try MeetUp or any other such service.

3. This is just a guess, but places like community centers, senior centers, and public libraries may know of groups, or be interested in starting them.

Videos

1. I know at least one person who taught herself to knit from YouTube videos. There are a million of them, some with comprehensive instruction and others just a quick shot of one specific technique. For visual learners, the ability to see what it's supposed to look like, and watch the same ten seconds 50 times, can really help. If you don't like one source, try another; the degrees of professionalism range widely.
Also, be aware that you may find it more confusing than helpful if you learn one method and a video is of a knitter using another. My grandmother taught me continental (since that's what she learned, in Norway), and I still can get confused looking at other methods (a good roundup of the differences between the major schools, English [aka throwing] and continental [aka picking], can be found here).
2. Check your library: If they don't have DVDs of knitting, or book-and-DVD sets, they may be able to borrow some from other libraries. I'm a big fan of try before you buy.

Books
Some people find words and illustrations give them the guidance they need. Try different ones (the library is your friend here), and don't discount the simpler, pamphlet-booklet type you can pick up at places like Michael's. Basic is good when you're starting. I don't crochet much, but when I do, I can pull out that pamphlet and brush up on the differences between double and half double.

Knitters, what else would you advise?