a question for the knitting people out there

I have decided that I would like to knit a scarf. Mostly because my favorite scarf is looking really worse for wear and I don't know anybody in RL to co-opt into making me one. So I'm wondering, dear knitters on my flist (and I know there are plenty of you out there), do you have any suggestions for patterns geared towards the novice, preferably in plain English and with pictures, for something similar to this stylish cable knit scarf? (not necessarily this, just something subtle and not showy, but substantial enough for those days when it's so cold your eyelashes freeze to your cheeks)

Or am I setting my sights too high for the first time out?