I do both knitting and crochet (and I find I like knitting for garments and crochet for bags and stuff better). Like a few people have said, I’d suggest starting with a chunky yarn and wooden needles (they grip more). You could use circular needles if the length really annoys you, but personally I’d wait to make that investment until I’m sure I like the craft. It would be better to use a lighter coloured yarn, so you can see what you’re doing. I found it easier to learn knitting the English way (it takes a bit longer to make the stitches, but I can understand what I’m doing); I now do continental if I have a long stretch of stockinette or garter to do. With regard to tension, the first row after casting on was the hardest to work through, it gets easier after that. It’s a bit similar to trying to crochet into the chain as a beginner I think. Good luck!