craftgrrl | No photos I'm afraid, but a desperate question from a novice crochet-er!

Hello! I've checked the FAQ but haven't been able to find an answer for my problem.

I have hideously long ape-like arms and anything long-sleeved is usually a good two or three inches too short in the arm department. So I've decided that making myself a few hoodies and jumpers and so on is a good idea. The problem is some of the patterns I've found are for knitters, and I just can't get my head around knitting. I can however crochet (poorly, but I can do it!) and I was wondering if and how you could convert knitting patterns in to crochet ones.

Thanks for your help!