Ack, sorry to hear that. That bug seems to have reared its head again, so we'll take a look at it! Autosaving would be a handy feature to have too, so it's something we'll keep in mind for the future (it wasn't something that crossed our minds until... well, after we released, bahaha). Avoid talking to the Blacksmith's door if he's not outside and it's not night time. IF you go into the mines/caves/forest while he's not there, he should reappear (as long as it isn't night!).
On the plus side, we ARE happy to hear that you're enjoying the game that much.