The Care and Keeping of Jigsaw Puzzles

Jigsaw puzzles, as we all know, are made up of individual pieces that have been farmed and raised in factories. They have only known confinement since the time they were cut from the mother cardboard. Instinct whispers in their ears that they should be free. Therefore every puzzle piece will try to get away. Some will not give as much trouble as others but they will try and resist. Often they will try and trick you into helping them get away. You can stop this by only working on jigsaw puzzles over hard surfaces where they can not hid in the thick of the carpet. Covering the puzzle when you are not working on it will stop a walker passing by from bumping them off the table or a pet playing a tournament of hockey. If you manage to complete a puzzle without losing a piece you have won another battle for our side. This puzzle has been mastered by you! Now is the time to pass it onto someone else so that they can win the challenge.

Warning: Do not put puzzle pieces through the laundry; they don't appreciate it very much.

Tip: Look for a puzzle that has good color contrast and not a lot of repeating patterns. This will assist you in the completion. A picture of a Dalmatian on a spotted background is not for the weak of heart. Hallmark has good puzzles. Many resale shops have experience jigsaw puzzlers put the puzzle together to make sure they are all together. This is good if you don't want to spend too much money.

Lindsay

Knitting

The knitting craze from a few years ago has finally crashed over me! Family taught me how to knit several years ago but I knit only in these situations; I was feeling guilty I hadn't been knitting, I was out of books, and/or the person who taught me to knit was coming over. Knitting, however, has taken over the city. A lady from my church made an announcement about her knitting scarves for a charity that distributes things to people in need. After she started drowning in yarn that people had donated she asked others to help knit scarves. Several members of my family decided to take a few balls of yarn and help knit. We have made two scarves, one is beautiful wool with black flecks and another is a childs rainbow and green striped scarf, and I am working on a pink and rainbow striped scarf for another child. Knitting has also appeared in books. Two books, in a series called Chicks with Sticks, I have read are about young people knitting. The names of the books are It's a Purl Thing and Knit Two Together. There is also a television show from DIY network called Knitty Gritty, that explains projects. Knitting is quite simple, you can find someone in your community to teach you or you can use a knitting help website. The scarves I have made are just knit stich -garter stitch-; no fancy technics or patterns. Try it!