Ah, the fun and joy of knitting. It's soothing, classy, and makes watching TV productive! Unfortunately a number of hipsters have taken it up as their trend du jour, along with perfectly tilted hats for farm equipment they've never used and shirts for camps they've never been to. IGNORE THEIR FLEETING GLORY! Knitting's been around ever since they figured out how to spin wool, and will probably be around until the human race's apocalyptic demise. Now, I could go on about HOW to knit, but I learned how from helpful friends, one of whom I call the Internet. 
3 Important Things:
1) DON'T shy away just because you're a lefty. Just replace all the "left's" with "right's" and vice versa, or even stick with the righty way. The hand dominance thing's basically whichever hand you feel more comfortable looping yarn around with, so try switching it up if you're just starting, See which feels better.
2) CASTING ON is the hardest thing to do (at least for me) and it's the FIRST THING you're going to have to learn. Just keep in mind everything else will be peaches and sunshine in comparison, and try not to stab your yarn ball when all the stitches slip off.
3) Lastly, KNITTING IS NOT COMPLICATED IN THE LEAST. Don't get worried you'll never learn because you're watching someone going at warp speed and can't tell what they're doing. IT IS ONLY 2 STITCHES! Seriously. It's binary, just like computers. Once you learn both stitches, it's pretty much technique after that.
As if I didn't give you enough reasons already, here are more reasons why you should already be holding yarn:
-I personally am fidgety neurotic, so knitting keeps my hands and mind busy and tranquil. It's great if you're trying to quite smoking or biting your nails.
-Once you've completed a project, you feel an amazing sense of self-reliance. You don't need to buy "the man's" scarves; you can make your own.
-Though not very likely, while sitting quietly you feel like if someone messed with you, you could whip those needles out all bad--ass like ninja sais. Of course you'd drop all your stitches. That would be sad.
-In post-apocalyptic America, Philosophy and business degrees will mean squat. Knitting will be the useful skill that raises you above mere drudge or breeder.
See? So many reasons to get started. Here's a couple of links to get you going:
KNITTY (http://www.knitty.com/)
There's lots of great information and some cute patterns here.
GETCRAFTY (www.getcrafty.com) Not just about knitting, but so much more.
I will warn you now: searching for patterns on the internet will lead to a great deal of teddy bears and kittens, and that kokopelli thing. However, be diligent. There are some really great things out there, like eerily flesh-tone rendered versions of your favorite Star Trek character! 
Next time: With some patience and graph paper, you can pretty much chart anything your wee heart desires into a knitting pattern.
Well, that's all for now. Have fun and happy knitting.