Friends + Smoked Meat = Fun...

Hub and I had a meat smokin' party this past weekend. We had friends visiting from my hometown in upstate New York, friends from Medford, and friends from Rhode Island to our house on Saturday for a special kind of cookout. For those of you not familiar with a smoker, it is a cooking apparatus that looks like a grill but is designed to cook meat low and slow with the addition of wood chips. The smoke creates a delicious flavor in the meat and the low, slow cooking method keeps the meat extremely juicy. Hub went a little crazy and brined two cornish hens, a pork shoulder, and a bone-in pork sirloin, made a spice rub for a chili-rubbed brisket, and smoked some fresh salmon (a gift from our neighbor). It was a serious protein fest... and it was delicious. Since smoking is a day long affair, I had tons of time to knit while I hung out with my friends. I made my friend Bob a nice little hat for the upcoming winter.

He looks a little like a thug but I think it works!

I have also been making some serious progress on all of my projects. Every once in a while I get to a point where I become maniacal about finishing my WIPs. To that end, I finished a lacy scarf I was making out of Kid et Soire and Estelle Dazzle (no pictures because it might become a gift) and I finally finished my Chic Knits Ribby Shell (remember that, it was one of the first posts I ever blogged)! I must say, now that I am finished with it, I really like it. It is one of the first garments I have made that fits me very nicely. Plus, it just looks sharp.
Now all the WIPs I have left include the blanket for my grandmother, the Flower Basket shawl, and Samus. Since that's only three projects, I have started a hat for my dad for Christmas. Super... I love starting new projects!

Cheers!