Yarn selection for those who knit

Hi-

I am thinking of Christmas gifts already and would like to get a loom and some yarn for one of my cousins who wants to learn to knit. I have NO clue where to begin. She is a teen, so I need GOOD quality and GOOD colors..I see a ton of different varieties at ACMOORE, Michaels, WM etc..the prices are so different too. Send me some help/recommendations! Thanks!

Hi there!  I am a knitter.  A great place to start would be your local yarn store.  I started there and took classes and it really helped.  It is completely possible to learn to knit from books and websites (knittinghelp.com is a great resource), but I am the type of learner that needs an actual person as a sounding board.  A cute book that I think a teen would like is Stitch N Bitch Nation-- that has great patterns for someone who is learning. 

Hi there!  I taught myself to knit several years ago.  I wouldn't get a loom for her (if you didn't already), because to me a loom is really limiting.  If I were getting a kit of things for someone to begin knitting I would get the following things:

a book like stitch 'n bitch or something similar with the basic how to instructions but also some cute, quick patterns

some lion brand jiffy thick n quick yarn and the correct needle size (look on the yarn label, probably around 13 or so)  this yarn is, in my opinion, the easiest to learn on and it works up really fast so it is very satisfying.

Some Caron simply soft and the appropriate sized needle (again, check the label, but probably 7) (this yarn is cheap but feels nice and holds up well to washing)

All of these things can be found at walmart for cheaper than they are in a craft store (except maybe the book, though walmart would have comparable books).

I would get three skeins of each yarn, and for each yarn I would either get all three the same color or in two coordinating colors.  That way she can make scarves and such simple things to start, but she can do stripes if she wants to, as stripes are very easy.