I'm a compulsive knitter and have been for years, with jugs full of needles of all sizes and lengths and shapes, and a ton of yarn and binders and bookshelves full of patterns and books, so I won't give you my opinion of the knifty knitter, it would not be suitable for most people's ears. But before anyone decides on what to use depending on the price of a knifty knitter versus the price of a set of needles, decide what you want to knit. If you are looking for something simple to fill in some time and don't really care what you do, then a knifty knitter is probably fine. If at some point you want to go beyond round things, for example, and make lace shawls, patterned socks, cabled sweaters, baby booties of all shapes, mittens, shrugs...a friend of mine found a pattern for a "little nekkid man"...then go for needles right away. Starting with a knifty knitter and planning to go on to needles makes as much sense as starting with a sewing machine and working your way up to a loom...they are 2 totally different things. There are tons of yarn shops these days, many of them have classes or are willing to help you learn. And supporting your local yarn shop instead of Michaels or whatever is good anyway.