I think the pain in your hands would lessen doing either crochet or knitting after you have more experience. I used to get pain in my hands from knitting when I was new to it, and now it doesn't bother me at all. However, I've recently started crocheting, and I find it hurts my hands. I think it is probably because when we are new to something we tend to hold things stiffer and tighter. Eventually we develop our own more comfortable and relaxed way of doing things. I crocheted a blanket, and at the beginning it is much narrower and my stitches are smaller and stiffer. As I reached the other end, I can see a big difference as my tension eased. It also bothered my hands less and less as I worked on it.
I am actually prone to pain in my hands, and after several different diagnoses and prescriptions, I found that if I am sure to knit for at least 20 minutes a day, my pain goes away. My Nanny said her doctor told her knitting probably is the reason she never developed arthritis. She still knits daily, in her mid-90s.
I would say that if I was looking to make something decorative or to have a project to bring along with me, I would pick crochet. It is very portable since you only have to bring a hook, and I don't worry about doing it in the car. It can make some really cute baby items. If I was looking to make something that was more for wear, I would choose knitting. I find crochet patterns tend to have more holes and spaces. They look pretty, but you can lose some warmth in that regard. I would crochet a little hat for spring, but for a warm winter hat, I'd choose knitting. I used little crochet blankets for DD3 who was born in the Spring, and heavier knitted blankets for DD5 who was born in the winter.
Of course, you knit big lacy stitches and crochet very tightly, so these are just generalizations.
I find crochet is harder on the eyes because you can usually knit without looking at what you're doing since your stitches are waiting for you on the needle, but for crochet, you need to look at which stitches you're picking up. This might be because crochet is still newer to me. Maybe those with experience crochet easily without looking too.
As for which is easier; it's a toss up. Both I think are pretty easy with a little practice. They both really only have a few different stitches to learn, and then the patterns are based on those stitches. That said, most books that are aimed at teaching both skills start with crochet and move on to knitting.
