A Knitting Sample

I'm making a bold attempt at knitting a large shawl for a friend. Here are her specifications:
No wool, she wants acrylic
Very warm -- no airy stitches or lacy see-through
Deep navy color -- close to black
She doesn't mind a small pattern, like a thin ribbing.

Well, I asked Hunter for advice. She loaned me some circular needles and instructed me to make some samplers so my friend can get an idea of what I'm proposing, and so I can measure my gauge.

Here's my first sample. Hunter said to try 6 knit, 1 purl. So I did. This is not the color, of course. I haven't bought the yarn yet.

I really like the look of the pattern. Above is the primarily knitted side, and below is the reverse, with the purl predominant, and the knit row shining out. Having a little bit of ribbing in the pattern will keep the edges from curling up.

This is my first foray into circular needles. I tell you, it's like knitting with a slinky! They are 40" circulars, so that contributes a bit to the chaos :)

I'll keep you posted on this project. I told my friend that I'm a slow knitter, and she might expect the shawl sometime next year! She said that's okay. I'll do my best.