There are a lot of WPF resources that are aiming developers. We are trying to get our designer up-to speed, and I have been researching some of the options on the market.
The only two reasonable options that I found were "Expression Blend Unleashed" and "APress Foundation Expression Blend 2 Building Applications in WPF and SilverLight".
Do people have any recommendations on blend/xaml books/tutorials for designers?
I would strongly recommend "Foundation Expression Blend 2: Building Applications in WPF and Silverlight". I have recently purchased the book. What I can say about the book is that it really intended for beginners, since concepts are described in detail. Full of examples, which makes your learning experience a lot easier. But you may find it boring if you already have some previous experience in Blend. Hope this helps.
There's a nice online video tutorial for expression blend.
I'm working through 'Foundation Silverlight 3 Animation', and it's great.
If you want to get a feel for the author before you buy, check out his presentation at MIX 2010.