RE: Can anyone help a new knitter? (Advice on yarns, patterns, etc)
It is too bad you don't have a yarn store near by, that would be the ideal situstion. There is a book called The Yarn Girls Guide to Kids Knits. You can get it at Barnes and Noble or Amazon. The reason I'm suggesting this book is because it is put out by a store in NYC. They sell the yarn used in all their projects. You can also search by project and buy a kit. http://www.theyarnco.com/index.html
I suggest actually getting the book, then ordering online. They offer color schemes for both girls and boys for each project. An excellent all around kitting book is the big fat Vogue one. Debbie Bliss and Erika Knight also have kid books that use splendid yarn with excellent advice.
Edited to add- I just spent some more time on the Yarn Co. website. You can check out their yarn selection (can't feel:( ) and for each yarn they list patterns it can be used for. So that maybe something that works for you. Good luck.
Veronica
Miss Ellie 11/03
Baby Audrey 4/08