To add to Sally J's reply, use a yarn that is fairly smooth (not fuzzy or nubby, and definitely NOT fun fur!) and a fairly light, solid color (not variegated) so you can see your stitches clearly. Red Heart brand is commonly available (Walmart, Hobby Lobby, Michael's, JoAnn's, etc.) in worsted weight and is relatively inexpensive, so a lot of beginners use that to learn with. A crochet hook US size H or I is about right for worsted weight yarn; hooks are commonly available in metal or plastic.

There are many resources on the Internet to learn how to crochet. Many web sites give instructions and illustrations (for example, see the links at the top of this forum page). Some even have videos so you can see how someone is holding the yarn and forming a stitch. Try a web search for keywords or phrases such as "crochet lesson" or "crochet video", and bookmark a few sites to check out what fits your learning style.

Web sites for yarn companies frequently offer free patterns, sometimes graded (beginner, intermediate, etc.), so once you get going, you can pick out something suitable for your skill level for your next project. For example, Lion Brand [lionbrand.com] requires you to register, but there's no charge and their patterns are rather popular. Again, a web search for "free crochet pattern" will yield an overwhelming number of sites, some of which are lists of links to patterns on other sites - literally hundreds of free patterns!

And of course, you can always come here to these CYCA pages, maybe to read through older posts and pick up some tips, or to post a question you have. (There is a lot of valuable information here: try the SEARCH function sometime to see what has been said about a specific topic.) Those of us who post are not CYCA employees, just folks who enjoy sharing our craft with others and want to help out when we can. We're glad to have you among us!