How difficult is it to knit a scarf?

Mission : Knit a masculine scarf in a rich color by mid-Jan for DH, yarn must be comfortable and luxurious (and preferably has some color variegation or interesting stitch pattern so that I don't get bored).

Sounds easy, you say?

Option 1 : Buy a luxury yarn like cashmere, or qiviut, or (as suggested by some evil knitting buddies...) Buffalo Yarn (yum!) *image from buffalogold weblink*

Pros : It's unique, it's uber soft, it's warm without being chunky, it's certainly luxurious.. and definitely very manly (how can anything called 'buffalo gold' not be manly?)

Cons : What cons? It's Buffalo Yarn! Aside from the small problem of it costing USD70 a skein, of course. Oh, and I probably won't get the yarn ordered and shipped in time. Hmm.

So as I float down from la-la land... I begin to consider other more practical options.

Option 2 : 3 strands of yarn held together for a chunky modern scarf, in a simple 2x2 rib stitch. 1 strand of fingering weight Merino wool in a deep blue-red, 1 strand of Rowan Wool Cotton in a warmer tomato red, and 1 strand of some kidsilk mohair in a brown-red.

Pros : Yarns are from my Japan stash (yes, I have lots of red colored yarn in my stash). Although using up my precious Japan stash takes a lot of courage, I console myself that I can buy more yarn to replenish the stock. More pros : it's a fast knit, the rib pattern is masculine and simple enough, and the subtle color toning of the various shades of red definitely makes a statement without being too fussy.

Cons : Wonder if the chunky homespun look is too funky for DH?

Option 3 : A more traditional looking scarf, in leftover Rowan Cashsoft Aran in a dark slate gray, using a double moss stitch pattern for some texture.

Pros : Certainly classic enough. Understated elegance in a very comfortable yarn.

Cons : Don't know if I have enough of this yarn left... only 2.5 balls... thats like 220+ yds or so. Plus this will definitely take longer.

I tried various other combinations but the results of those are simply too ugly to be shown and are a testament to my lack of colour sense.

At this point, I remind myself that I'm overthinking this scarf and should probably just go have a cuppa tea and a soak in the tub.