I only have one book that I keep next to my knitting basket for constant reference. That books is the Knitter's Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide to the Principles and Techniques of Handknitting by Montse Stanley.
Stanley packs this book full of illustrations, photographs, and step-by-step directions. I picked this book up when I first started knitting, and I'll admit, I found the drawings of yarn and needles a bit hard to follow. Now that I've been knitting for awhile they make perfect sense.
Stanley has whole chapters just on casting on, binding off, seaming, cables, pockets and more. I find myself reaching for her book whenever I come across a pattern that calls for something other than knit or purl. I highly recommend it to add to your library of resources.
