Stitch n' Bitch by Debbie Stoller
I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to get into (or already into) knitting. It's extremely easy to follow and very entertaining overall. I gifted a copy of this to a friend recently, and she went from only knowing how to knit to purling, making mittens, handwarmers, and working with more complicated stitches that I have yet to even try myself... ( need to get on that.)
