As far as orders - the books are indeed closed - the agreement mentioned is to set aside a stock knife once my orders are complete.
For interest's sake - here's the plan moving forward:
First and foremost - complete all orders
From there, I'm going to only sell finished knives be it via my own website, forums or shows. It allows me to control stock in (rather than buy a whole range of materials - my options got a bit excessive) and work in batches until the materials are used up and then step onto the next batch/project. This way I'm working economically and it allows me to get some of the pipe-dreams off the designing board and into the light of day. I do enjoy working with people - some of the cooler parts of my knives have come from discussing new ideas with clients. To which end, hopefully in the new year, once I get my feet well and truly under me I'll take on one or two orders at a time. This year's been a serious learning curve and not one I'm keen to repeat.
Emails incoming regarding final delivery times - you have my thanks for all the patience I've been shown - we're in the home stretch.
Gazza