2009 has been a rough year

[mcarter]

This has been a rough and frustrating year as a knifemaker. It has had it's highlights too. We did have a great Knifemaker's Guild Show here in Louisville and I earned my voting status as a Guild Member.

What has been frustrating is trying to keep up with my knifemaking and custom orders. I fell behind schedule several months ago and haven't been able to get caught up. No major catastrophes, just a whole series of little annoyances that take me away from my work. It really started last year with a freak hurricane that made it's way to Kentucky and left us without power for a few days and a fair amount of clean up work to do. That was followed a little later by the worst ice storm this state has ever seen which again left us without power and a big mess to deal with.

Then came medical issues for me, my wife and other family members. Again, nothing life threatening but still things that needed to be addressed and interrupted my work. As some of you know, my wife suffered a near fatal brain hemorage a few years ago. She recovered to great degree but she is disabled and unable to drive. That means I have to take her to doctor appointments and do nearly all of the shopping and errands for the household. Along with maintaining a 100+ year old home, vehicles, rental property and various other chores, it often takes me away from the shop.

I love making knives and I do depend on the income but family does take priority. I don't mean to sound like I am making a bunch of excuses. We all have to deal with everyday life issues. I just wanted to explain that it has been one of those freak series of things where every time I thought I had a chance to get caught up something else popped up to set me back again.

Here's hoping that 2010 will run a lot smoother and I can get back to a regular schedule of working at my knifemaking. I want to thank all of my customers who patiently waited for thier orders. Even if I am behind I don't try to rush things or cut corners just to get an order out the door. Every knife I make should be around long after I am gone and I want them to represent the best work that I can do.

As my knifemaking business grows, so does the turnaround time. I am a one-man shop and I do everything by hand so it takes a while to make a quality handmade knife. The more orders I have, the longer the delivery time for those farther down the list. But, I hope all of you find that your Carter handmade custom knife was worth the wait.

Thank you.

Mike