<p>I'm a complete beginner when it comes to programming. I'm taking a stab at PHP, and have seen how powerful the frameworks can be. But should I even consider trying to work with a framework until I have a strong grasp of PHP itself?</p>

<p>Note: I'd most likely be using CodeIgnitor, but the question applies to any of the frameworks.</p>

Preferably, you should have a strong grasp of the language (and programming in general) before you start using frameworks. Frameworks can and will save you a lot of work, but you they also introduce advanced concepts and implementations.
After you gain some experience and start to wonder what's the best way to solve some common problems you have faced before - that will be a good time to give frameworks a try.
I would suggest you try to read some of the source code of the different frameworks and see if it makes sense to you. If it doesn't - you are probably not ready yet.