diff --git a/.travis.yml b/.travis.yml
index 5de0a5b..291acf9 100644
--- a/.travis.yml
+++ b/.travis.yml
@@ -11,5 +11,9 @@ script: python test.py --verbose
 notifications:
   irc:
     channels: "irc.freenode.org#paramiko"
+    template:
+      - "%{repository}@%{branch}: %{message} (%{build_url})"
     on_success: change
     on_failure: change
+    use_notice: true
+  email: false
diff --git a/NEWS b/NEWS
index 4a3a672..c2d450b 100644
--- a/NEWS
+++ b/NEWS
@@ -12,6 +12,29 @@ Issues noted as "Fabric #NN" can be found at https://github.com/fabric/fabric/.
 Releases
 ========
 
+v1.12.1 (8th Jan 2014)
+----------------------
+
+* #176: Fix AttributeError bugs in known_hosts file (re)loading. Thanks to
+  Nathan Scowcroft for the patch & Martin Blumenstingl for the initial test
+  case.
+* #225: Note ecdsa requirement in README. Thanks to Amaury Rodriguez for the
+  catch.
+
+v1.11.3 (8th Jan 2014)
+----------------------
+
+* #176: Fix AttributeError bugs in known_hosts file (re)loading. Thanks to
+  Nathan Scowcroft for the patch & Martin Blumenstingl for the initial test
+  case.
+
+v1.10.5 (8th Jan 2014)
+----------------------
+
+* #176: Fix AttributeError bugs in known_hosts file (re)loading. Thanks to
+  Nathan Scowcroft for the patch & Martin Blumenstingl for the initial test
+  case.
+
 v1.12.0 (27th Sep 2013)
 -----------------------
 
diff --git a/README b/README
index ae50a80..666b31a 100644
--- a/README
+++ b/README
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ paramiko
 
 :Paramiko: Python SSH module
 :Copyright: Copyright (c) 2003-2009  Robey Pointer <robeypointer@gmail.com>
-:Copyright: Copyright (c) 2013  Jeff Forcier <jeff@bitprophet.org>
+:Copyright: Copyright (c) 2014  Jeff Forcier <jeff@bitprophet.org>
 :License: LGPL
 :Homepage: https://github.com/paramiko/paramiko/
 :API docs: http://docs.paramiko.org
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@ Requirements
 
   - python 2.6 or better <http://www.python.org/>
   - pycrypto 2.1 or better <https://www.dlitz.net/software/pycrypto/>
+  - ecdsa 0.9 or better <https://pypi.python.org/pypi/ecdsa>
 
 If you have setuptools, you can build and install paramiko and all its
 dependencies with this command (as root)::
diff --git a/paramiko/client.py b/paramiko/client.py
index 7cf897f..40ef7f0 100644
--- a/paramiko/client.py
+++ b/paramiko/client.py
@@ -189,8 +189,8 @@ class SSHClient (object):
 
         # update local host keys from file (in case other SSH clients
         # have written to the known_hosts file meanwhile.
-        if self.known_hosts is not None:
-            self.load_host_keys(self.known_hosts)
+        if self._host_keys_filename is not None:
+            self.load_host_keys(self._host_keys_filename)
 
         with open(filename, 'w') as f:
             for hostname, keys in self._host_keys.items():
diff --git a/tests/test_client.py b/tests/test_client.py
index c508b83..b472484 100644
--- a/tests/test_client.py
+++ b/tests/test_client.py
@@ -20,12 +20,13 @@
 Some unit tests for SSHClient.
 """
 
-import os
 import socket
 import threading
 import time
 import unittest
 import weakref
+import warnings
+import os
 from binascii import hexlify
 from tests.util import test_path
 import paramiko
@@ -186,7 +187,33 @@ class SSHClientTest (unittest.TestCase):
         self.assertEqual(1, len(self.tc.get_host_keys()))
         self.assertEqual(public_host_key, self.tc.get_host_keys()['[%s]:%d' % (self.addr, self.port)]['ssh-rsa'])
 
-    def test_5_cleanup(self):
+    def test_5_save_host_keys(self):
+        """
+        verify that SSHClient correctly saves a known_hosts file.
+        """
+        warnings.filterwarnings('ignore', 'tempnam.*')
+
+        host_key = paramiko.RSAKey.from_private_key_file('tests/test_rsa.key')
+        public_host_key = paramiko.RSAKey(data=str(host_key))
+        localname = os.tempnam()
+
+        client = paramiko.SSHClient()
+        self.assertEquals(0, len(client.get_host_keys()))
+
+        host_id = '[%s]:%d' % (self.addr, self.port)
+
+        client.get_host_keys().add(host_id, 'ssh-rsa', public_host_key)
+        self.assertEquals(1, len(client.get_host_keys()))
+        self.assertEquals(public_host_key, client.get_host_keys()[host_id]['ssh-rsa'])
+
+        client.save_host_keys(localname)
+
+        with open(localname) as fd:
+            assert host_id in fd.read()
+
+        os.unlink(localname)
+
+    def test_6_cleanup(self):
         """
         verify that when an SSHClient is collected, its transport (and the
         transport's packetizer) is closed.