Zen Knitting

I have always crocheted most of my life and always thought I couldn’t knit especially a sweater. Well, I visited the public library where they have wonderful informative books and patterns . I have knitted fairisle, texture and intarsia .sweaters. The secret is reading the patterns and understanding the stitches . If we say we can’t do something, then we can’t. Tell yourself you CAN knit a sweater and start with something simple like a plain stockinette stitch pullover. If you make a mistake, you can pull it out until you get it right.
Here are a few links to help get you started. Since summer is coming, you may want to try a short sleeve pullover.
Never knit when you are tired. That’s when the most mistakes are made. Have fun!

I would suggest you start with a baby sweater. That way you will learn all the “techniques” involved before starting on a large scale. It would be less expensive and less time consuming so you can get that instant gratification, while honing your skills. And when you are done, you will have a cute little gift for a new baby.

For a first sweater (baby or adult) try a simple pattern, and be sure you read ALL the instructions before you start to make sure you can follow it and all the techniques used in it. Knittinghelp.com has many great videos to teach techniques and stitches you may need help with.

There are many free patterns online, and a lot of great sites were mentioned in the other answers. You should also check into joining ravelry.com. There are 1000′s of knitters registered there who generously share their patterns and answer questions.