I have successfully figured out crochet! I got a great book, one of the Interweave Press Harmony Guides (which I highly recommend, by the way).

Harmony Guides: Basic Crochet Stitches 250 Stitches to Crochet, by Erika Knight.

First I did several swatches, experimenting with Single, Double, Half-Double, and Treble crochet stitches. Then I dug out some red yarn I had left over from a project and got to work. It’s a combination of Half-Double and Treble stitches and turned into a scarf for Michael.
Here it is in its entirety:

And here is a stitch detail: