A wool or wool blend is best yarn for beginners as the natural hairs
A wool or wool blend is best yarn for beginners as the natural hairs on the yarn have a grabby tendency which helps a beginner.Pick a single colored yarn in a paler shade. Stay away from the highly saturated somewhat darker yarns as those colors make seeing individual stitches harder. Multicolor yarns also make it more difficult to see what the stitches are doing. Being able to see the stitches easily helps the beginner evaluate their stitch formations.
Avoid pairing needles and yarn that are similar in color. You want to see the needle and not confuse it with the yarn. Your knitting speed and enjoyment will be greatly improved with a nice contrast between the yarn and needles. (This applies to all levels of knitters!)
Not all wool yarns are soft or smooth. Look for one that feels good in your hands. You will have it running through your fingers for many hours.
Finally, choose a color that makes you happy. This is supposed to be fun! And it is used in the Rolled Edge Hat Pattern of Lesson Two - Purl Stitch.
For an "everything you wanted to know" about the types of balls available to knitters, read this article from Interweave Knits.
Pairing wool with a lightly finished wooden needle is the equivalent of the beginner growing a third hand!
Should your "ball of yarn" look like this, it is a hank of yarn. It MUST be rolled into a ball of yarn before you begin knitting.