Knitting is good. Knitting is addictive. Knitting is not cheap, you will not get cheaper socks because you make them own, but you won't want to wear the regular ones anymore. I agree that you should find someone to teach you, at least the basics, also a hat is an excellent starter project, you learn all the basics with a hat, and unlike a scarf, it ends.

Good luck, and then you can convince Yeti that he wants to finish learning