The Knitter's Companion Books

Pros: The perfect companion for knitters!
Cons: Don't expect in-depth coverage of everything. It's a basic guide.

I have a lot of how-to books and each one serves its purpose. The Knitter's Companion is a good basic guide that covers everything you need to know about knitting. It covers how to knit and purl, both English and Continental styles, casting on, ...

Pros: Spiral bound, portable, covers the basics. Has built in "Knit Check" tool the back.
Cons: Limited in scope and covers only a few ways of casting on, etc.

I co-manage a knitting studio and get the opportunity to see many knitting books. Though I think this is a great resource, I think the Vogue Quick Reference Guide is better.

* Pros:
It is a very portable size, and easily fits in your knitting bag.

It has the very basic "how-to" information like casting on, binding off, knitting & purling.

Ms. Square covers both Continental & American methods of knitting.

The book covers increases and decreases and joining new yarn.

The book covers finishing, seaming and blocking.

The best feature is the "knit check" in the back (checks needle size & gauge)

* Cons:

This book covers a lot for it's small size, however, it can't cover everything. I found that the section on casting on to be extremely limited. There are several methods for casting on & this book only covered 3. I think the Vogue Quick Reference Guide is a better tool if you are looking for a spiral-bound book to toss in your knitting tote bag.