A tutorial

Well, not really. More of a go to these sites if interested. Some have expressed interest in learning to crochet/knit so I thought I would offer some helpful places (Shelly, I have completely taught myself and started crocheting about 2 months ago and knitting about 1 month ago, trust me you don't want lessons from me).
If you are wanting to learn both, I would start with crochet. It is easier and cheaper and much faster. Crochet is basically always started with a chain stitch. You then work back over that chain with your stitch always having just one stitch on the hook (and only using one hook). Working in rows means you go from left to right (think scarf-flat), working in rounds means you are going in a circle (think hats or balls). I went to the store and got one of those "Teach yourself crochet" kits. I wouldn't recommend it because it is hard to start by looking at pictures (at least for me). Just head to the store, get a ball of yarn (for starters I would recommend getting a plain yarn like Caron Simply Soft, carried at most stores, it slides easily; fun looking yarn is neat but can be hard to work with so for learning start with the easy stuff) and get a little package of crochet hooks (I prefer metal, I hate plastic but you choose) which come in different sizes, usually they have a pack with sizes F-K which is a good one. Now once you have your yarn and hooks (and coffee) head over to this site which has VIDEOS showing how to do different stitches. Stick with the basics to start (single crochet-sc, double crochet-dc, and half double crochet-hdc). You can find lots of free patterns online (just google what type of pattern you are looking for), print it up then go back to that site to again see how to do the stitch. For hats and things in the round learning the magic adjustable loop is a MUST. I haven't found a video of it but there is a site that shows in pictures how to do it. Perhaps if you are lucky I will make a video of it. Once you learn that, anything round is very easy, including those cupcakes, cookies and amigurumi dolls like her.
Alright, SP needs to be fed. I will do a separate post on knitting shortly.