Carpe Weekend: Zen and the art of jigsaw puzzles
By Jason Freeman jfreeman@southtownstar.com August 22, 2012 12:52PM
The Jigframe | Supplied photo
Updated: September 24, 2012 6:10AM
Ask my friends, and they’ll tell you I have an undiagnosed case of obsessive compulsive disorder.
Sure, I go a bit berserk if my Kurt Vonnegut collection isn’t sorted on my bookshelf in chronological order of publication, and I’ll lose sleep if the Led Zeppelin picture hanging over my couch is even the slightest bit askew.
But OCD? I beg to differ.
I simply like order, which is one of the reasons why I enjoy doing jigsaw puzzles.
There’s a strange kind of calm that comes over me when I set about organizing a chaotic jumble of disjointed puzzle pieces into a complete picture of conformity.
Sorting each piece by color, separating the edge and corner pieces from the pile, carefully forming the puzzle’s border and then slowly filling the nothingness in its center piece by piece is all like a kind of quiet meditation for me.
Is that a disorder?
I don’t know, but it sure is fun.
Gear up
If you’re really into doing jigsaw puzzles, there are a plethora of accessories to aid you in the pursuit of a complete picture.
There’s the Jigsort, which includes a puzzle case, holder, carrier and caddy in four variations ranging from $65 to $125.
Another cool accessory is the Jigframe, which lets you frame your completed puzzle without ruining it with glue. It comes in two sizes costing $65 and $95.
Information on these and other great jigsaw puzzle accessories can be found at puzzleorganizer.com.
Puzzles for the proficient
If you’re looking for a challenge, check out the gargantuan, 13,200-piece Creation of Man Michelangelo puzzle at Amazon.com for about $135.
You also can vary your usual routine with Wentworth Murder Mystery, which has you put together a series of jigsaw puzzles in order to solve the crime depicted on the puzzles.
It runs a whopping $269.98 at Sears.com, so it’s really only for die-hard jigsaw fans.
Free fun
If the price tags on some of the above items has your head spinning, check out TheJigsawPuzzles.com to put together hundreds of virtual jigsaw puzzles online for no charge.
You can’t turn the pieces, and the screen size limits the complexity of puzzles you can do.
But you can choose among different cuts and make jigsaw puzzles from your own JPEG photos (after signing up for a free membership).
