A Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns by Barbara G. Walker

This book is a great resource for reference and design purposes. All the hard work in designing your own patterns is done for you - simply choose a stitch pattern, do a gauge swatch, and away you go! This book has wonderful written directions and illustrations for many different types of stitches. It includes chapters on:

knit-purl combinations, slip-stitch patterns, slip-stitch color patterns, mosaic patterns, fancy color patterns, fancy texture patterns, twist-stitch patterns, cables, cable-stitch patterns, yarn-over patterns, eyelets, lace, lace panels, borders, and edgings.