Jigsaws

I have several friends who love jigsaws so we regularly swap. Also get them from charity shops.

Parsley3

agnurse

I am not sure if you can get hold of them in the UK, but I have heard of a very unique jigsaw puzzle company called Odd Pieces. The front of the box depicts a scene from a story that is included in the box. The actual puzzle depicts a scene that occurs a few seconds AFTER the one on the box - so it is a surprise!

These puzzles are called Wasjig here. I have a few and they are very good fun.

I thought the Wasgij ones showed the backside of the puzzle picture so to speak.

There are several kinds of Wasgijs, Boadicea. Some show what is going to happen and some show what the people in the lid picture are looking at. I think there is at least one other kind too.

Here's an example of a Wasgij.

I have taken up jigsaw puzzles again in the last few months. I buy them from charity shops and coffee mornings. I have never done a wooden one.

I discovered Cloudberries in lockdown. Excellent quality, perfect fit and unusual designs. They are though quite pricey but I have a cupboard full of them and go back to them loads.

Luckygirl - if you want to do on your lap, get 500 piece (or fewer) and a board that you can easily move from lap to coffee table or similar, without getting up. Some of the smaller ones can be quite difficult, particularly if you decided to go for a wooden one.
Even if you do jigsaws online, there's something very satisfying about sifting through actual pieces in the box, trying to find particular ones!

I like to have a jigsaw on the go. I buy them from charity shops for myself but sometimes treat us to a new one in the summer.

Sometimes the charity shop ones have the pieces in plastic bags inside, sorted into edges and inners. I’m still not sure whether I like that or not. I do get a small frisson of excitement when I find those all important corner pieces!

If anybody saw my lounge at the moment it’s like a jigsaw shop. I have been buying jigsaws for the winter for my husband with XL pieces and maybe 50-100 pieces. Since his Stroke I thought he might like to try them. In the summer we have been out as much as we can but it will be a long winter for him so I need to keep him occupied. He tried some online ones and quite enjoyed those.

I can highly recommend Lubiwood. The pieces are very irregularly shaped and the quality is high. A brilliant workout for the brain.

My ever busy mother couldn’t understand why anyone would spend hours doing jigsaws, putting together a picture that someone else had cut up into little pieces.

I quite like them though, Wentworth do some fabulous ones, expensive but real heirlooms.

I have over 60 in the loft (we have a loft ladder). I can't bear to throw any away. I do them in turn. Every time my husband goes up in the loft he swears they are breeding. Of course I never add any when he is not looking. (Ha ha!)

I adore wasjig, funny and interesting and stimulating. My daughters buy the Christmas one every year and if they find one in a charity shop they get it for me

I always have a puzzle on the go as I check them for missing pieces for a local jigsaw festival. We raised £16,000 for charities over 4 days this year, so jigsaws are still very popular!

Many people collect Wentworths and Wasgijs and they’re very much sought after, but not by me. Like AweSum72 I prefer Gibsons, Galisons, retro toys/adverts/books etc, bright colours. And I just love it if I open a box and find the edge pieces are in a separate bag, or sometimes even that big chunks of the puzzle are still intact!

I hold them on an old lightweight cork noticeboard, which sits on my footstool if I’m in the floor, on my knee when I’m up on a chair. It just slides under the sofa or coffee table out of sight.