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It depends entirely on what properties you want the knife to have when you are done. I generally work with w1, 1095, or 1084c. None of those steels have chromium in them. Chromium aids in oxidation resistance, but also usually has the added drawback of large grain structures in the steel which limits how fine you can get the edge and a few other factors.
If your looking for a stainless, or high chromium steel to work with, 440 is a pretty good beginners stainless. Lots of documentation for heat treatment. It won't be the best performer out there, but it won't be as quick to rust as the regular high carbon steels. My w1 and 1095 knives rust very quickly if they are highly polished. My wife's cooking knife that I made out of w1 oxidizes over the course of cooking dinner.
