You did it, Karen!! Congrats on solving the puzzle from hell. It was super interesting to see your approach to solving it compared to my approach. I think I pretty exclusively went by the grid pattern as there are a few different line types that make up the grid. I oriented the pieces (as you suggested earlier in the video) to match the final image. This kind of helped, coupled with looking for specific pieces that have a specific line type running through an "out" or "in" at a specific angle. But wowza, it was a tough puzzle for sure. The sheer variety of piece shapes (some were so tiny and some were so big!) definitely did my head in at times. Again, congrats! And apologies for any headaches introducing this puzzle into your world brought. ;)
I definitely used the grid image a bit (being like, ok I need an out with a darker brown line right on the edge of it). I like that there are different approaches you could take!
@@KarenPuzzles Right? As soon as I opened the box, I had a strong feeling you'd want to get your hands on it, given how bizarre the image is along with the insane puzzle shapes. Again, congrats on solving. I feel like we need medals...or at the very least some badges/pins. ;)
A poem….. for Karen Puzzling the puzzles that make you go mad Will this one be fun? Will this one be bad? Sifting and sorting, you laugh, then you cry When you realise. Oh no! And you just wonder why Why did you start this puzzle today? Why were you born to love puzzles this way? You love them, you hate them. You just can’t pretend Why does this stupid puzzle just never end? How long will it last? Why won’t it stop? Where is the piece on the floor that you dropped? You sit and you wonder. But never give up. Because puzzles are something that you just………..always love.
Karen. GIRL. Don’t you know us regular folk spend 10 hours on a normal (aka easy) puzzle?! Your experience here is how we often feel with any puzzle! It can take a good while but we keep going because puzzles are fabulous and we like to see a task well done.
Honestly I can spend 10 hours on a puzzle with a very “easy” image so the fact that you finished this one in this amount of time is mind blowing to me haha. I would have wasted at least 2 weeks of my life to get it done. But the satisfaction of finishing a difficult puzzle is always worth it
Even with hard puzzles you never lose any progress, so even if it takes an hour to put a single piece in, that's still progress and you'll get there eventually. I did a 1000 piece photomosaic puzzle and it took me over a month. It was helpful to remind myself that even minimal progress was still progress and I got there in the end. Grid.
This video was all over the place 😂 Don't worry, I'll be doing an easier and more fun puzzle next week! Would you have finished the Jigsaw Puzzle jigsaw puzzle?
This is definitely the type of puzzle that would sit on the table for months and people would stare at, try a couple pieces, then walk away until we eventually get sick of looking at it and put it back in the box. Not for casual puzzling, but you made it happen! 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
This type of puzzle honestly reminds me of my favourite puzzles - Hello Fish makes gorgeous wooden puzzles, and I have several from their planetary series. They are so well-done and high quality, but also the shapes are weird and difficult. They're a lot of fun, and take me, someone who doesn't puzzle much, about 10 hours per 75 pieces. It's so rewarding though, moreso than a cardboard puzzle imo. I def recommend trying the moon puzzle, if you csn
I'm retired for 1 1/2 yrs. My daughter brought me back to puzzling after MANY years. I was lucky to find you. You are so easy & fun to watch. I love my 300-500 large piece puzzles. I'm living through you. You are amazing!!! Keep up the great work.
In the 80’s grocery stores had generic products that had labels that were very simple and it became a trendy thing to label items in this style. I believe that is what this puzzle is based on.
I like your enthusiasm as that is why I subscribed to your channel,Karen. I do not do puzzles but dig your doing them instead as the vibe you give off is just so nice and kind-of a switch from so much that is negative in this world! Keep it up and stay positive as that is how to live!
To anyone who loves random piece shapes but doesn't want to go crazy due to a repetitive image I'd recommend Eurographics' Wassily Kandinsky puzzle. I've only done one so far but it was sooo much fun. I love doing art puzzles lately because it really makes you appreciate the art so much more and this one is so colorful and full of variety.
I once worked on a real hard 2000 pcs puzzle. We had started it as a family, at the cottage, over the weekend, and we couldn't finish it (a 1st for us). So I boxed it up, as best I could, and it came w/me from Michigan to Quebec. I opened it up again, months later. I worked on 2 puzzles at the same time. I had to put in at least 1/2 dozen pieces in the hard puzzle, before I could put the other puzzle over it, and work on that one. It took me weeks, but I finally finished the hard puzzle. Sent a pic of it to all the family members who had started it with me :-)
This seems like the kind of puzzle that is a good training for a competition because you have to push through although you’re not into it and it’s really hard.
What a challenging grid! A challenge I almost gave up on is my PhD. A year ago I was considering quitting & getting a masters instead. But I did some soul searching & decided to stick with it. My graduation is in April!!! So, soon I’ll have doctorate in microbiology and all it took is 5 years of not giving up😅
I often think with these kind of puzzles that once it is just all the same texture, if it is a busy texture, I would find it easier to find the shapes with the puzzle flipped over so that my eyes can focus on that one thing and not get distracted by the grid. Not that it can't also help, it feels like a tough call and obviously you can't easily switch half way through the puzzle. Congrats on persevering - I think your life choices are awesome, so long as you are also happy with them!
This year I found a new job in a foreign country (Japan) and found an apartment for myself! It was super difficult, but I did it and I'm so proud of myself!
My husband laughs when I watch your videos. He says you sound like me saying "why do I do this to myself" - happens often when I'm doing 300-400 pieces of black night sky. I love that grid puzzle. The shapes are awesome. I think I may have a puzzle by that brand in my stash - the image you showed top left of the castle!! I will have to pull out that box when I get home tomorrow.
The 299 cats (and a dog) puzzle from Laurence King puzzle was quite an experience!!! The first time I tried it, I put it right back in the box, ready to sell it. Then I gave it another try cause it's such a different puzzle, and I probably spent 50 hours on it, on and off while doing other puzzles, but it was soooo addictive, and the handful of cats I would place everyday was so worth it! I finished it, and bought the 299 dogs and a cat and the 299 fish and a diver! Can't wait to start them!
Can you PLEASE do a Dollar Store series? I love puzzles but I can only afford cheap ones. I’m interested in the comparisons. Thanks, and love your videos!
I vaguely remember seeing a video on it many years back, it had brands like Puzzlebug. Also keep a lookout for thrift stores, some of them have basically dollar store prices. I found a Krypt for $2 just last week.
This reminds me of a 1500 sepia toned, Wizard of Oz puzzle I did a couple years ago. Took me forever to do and literally just had to go piece by piece to finish. But it was super satisfying when I finished! I would definitely have had to work it by the grid pattern! Great job finishing!
I'm of the same mind. Once I start something - particularly a puzzle - I simply HAVE to see it through to completion, otherwise why start at all? You simply don't walk off the golf course on the 12th hole, no matter how poorly things are going. Finish the job. There is a certain honor in that. Well done.
It's so nice having a discount that I can actually use in my country (France)! I watch a ton of American/Canadian content creators and often feel left out of discounts, giveaways etc. Thank you :)
One I noticed is that the piece orientation seemed to be on a diagonal from the 'grid' so that was probably another element in making this one extremely challenging... But at least it wasn't the Heinz all red puzzle. Lol
I’ve done that puzzle before!!! Sometime in the 80’s. Hated it. Drove me CRAZY!!! Ended up solving it by turning it over. It’s actually easier to do it blank green. There were a few with that same crazy piece shape with really tricky images, and they were easier upside down, too. There’s a pattern so ‘squiggly line’, regular cut, both horizontally and vertically, and turned a quarter turn. It’s actually easier to see the shapes on the back, as the grid doesn’t interfere.
Programming complex ideas into excel can be a challenging puzzle. You program each cell to do a specific thing and the program comes together like origami.
I just sorted a clients puzzle that she’s had out for two months. Just to help get her going. It made her so happy and she sent me a picture of it completed two days later😊 I love watching these videos ❤
I'm currently doing a 2,000 after you inspired me when I was working on a 1,500. We shall 👀 if I can finish it. These two are the biggest I've ever tried and I'm 57 yrs old! No, I wouldn't have tried that puzzle at all. So congrats 👏 to you!!
So things that I persevered through like you did on this grid puzzle: Grinding in JRPGs. Breeding for competitive pokemon. Breeding for shiny pokemon. Forgetting your bus money so you have to walk home.
When it comes to something like this puzzle, you just have to find a strategy and get stuck in. You also have to be flexible enough to abandon your strategy of it's not working and find a better one. _And be patient_ . This one was fun and educational. Thanks, Karen!
Now you’ve set me on a Pam Marker stalking search. I have to Connecticut the dots! I love that you give so much history on the companies of these puzzles.
Just want to say thank you for the Puzzle You discount! I've never heard of this company but as soon as you showed your puzzle I had to pause and jump over to that site! I made one of my almost 2 year old son and I am SOOOO excited to get it and put it together. I am actually giddy with excitement. Thank you!
Hey Karen, I am a slow puzzler. I come watch your videos to pick your brain. I learn your tecnique, so I can maybe improve on my game plan for puzzling. Keep inspiring.
Great job Karen, well done on persevering. Sorting pieces by their shape is the way I always used to do puzzles and, for some strange reason, it had never occurred to me to sort by colours until I started watching your videos.
Wow! You really took us on an emotional/intellectual roller coaster with this video! It started out like a light and breezy little romcom, then a little documentary in the middle, then a dark comedy at the end, where it was funny for the viewers, but not for the "character" in the film. I don't know if there's another video of your where I laughed as much as I did with this one 😄
There used to be by a line by MB called "world's craziest puzzles" or similar in the 90s. Their hardest puzzle IMO was a Dalmatian puzzle that had the same image printed on the back side but rotated by 90°. That one was a nightmare, maybe you could find it! I loved some of their puzzles that were more like logic puzzles! You had to first put together all the elements (windows, crossings in a park) and then put together the puzzle based on the clues! Super fun! There's also a line I'm surprised I have never seen on your channel called Wazgij, where you have one scene on the box but the picture on the puzzle is what happens afterwards (e.g. a robber about to enter a store on the box and the robbery is the puzzle image). You should try to find those, they're so different from normal puzzles. Lot's of fun 😀
I have that Dalmatian puzzle and gave up on it within a week, lol. I've kept it on the very off chance that I'd like to attempt it again. It's one of a series from Buffalo Games puzzles called the "World's Most Difficult Jigsaw Puzzle."
I sympathize with you and your grid. I am currently doing a 1000 piece random cut puzzle called “Quiet Forest”. By far, the hardest puzzle I can remember doing. It’s been on my kitchen table for at least 1 month now. I’m about 2/3 done. On a lighter note, after a two week delay, your puzzle was finally delivered.
I think it would be fun to have a difficult puzzle like this “grid” puzzle as a bonus round at the world championships. All those puzzlers are so good it would be fun to see them challenged with an almost impossible puzzle😊
Congrats Karen on the hard GRID puzzle! I would have given up, but I was able to persevere on my biggest challenge yet. My dissertation...Thanks for your wonderful content.
Grid The puzzle I nearly gave up on was the Ravensburgurger puzzle villainous no 16 903 done for my grandson seemed to be on the table for weeks so well done Karen x
Karen, I wrote a puzzle poem a few weeks ago. It's very short, but here it is, for your enjoyment. The red and blue and yellow ones fit nicely into place, The ornaments upon the tree and presents at its base. Now all I have are branches green, pine needle pieces strange. A corner here, an edge piece there, I struggle to arrange.
So funny to see this video today since I ordered a puzzle from PuzzleYou just a day before you posted this video! Your stamp of approval makes me so much happier with my purchase.
Nice. I would have solved it. Totally. Must not give up! The hardest one I've done was a Heye puzzle titled "Forest Cathedral". It starts out okay, but the trees along the edges with all the tiny little flowers drove me insane and there was not enough piece shape variety so that sometimes you would think a piece would fit, only to discover an hour later, that no, that did not go there and you have to rework the outside again. I've built it twice. Because once obviously wasn't enough. I was smart though. I had a picture frame it would fit in. So it is permanently on display now. It's a beautiful picture. Just a very painful build.
I'm watching your video and see and hear you struggling while I'm at a Puzzle I left lying in the corner in a Puzzle-rug for about a year, because I don't wanted to finish the hard part of it😅... The ground is a greyish white with a little bit of Texture, it's a bone-stone-plastered ground 🙈(it's a Puzzle my husband gifted to me on christmas many years ago with a picture of us in our wedding carriage, which is standing in our yard in front of houses and garages, and I knew from the beginning, it's gonna be hard to solve it, because of the many grey tones and the blurriness of the picture) . It is really helping me to keep up the work on it while watching or hearing your videos of difficult puzzles. Thank you for your work and passion. Many greatings from Germany. Yours Kerstin
Great job finishing this grid puzzle. Must have been extremely difficult. I remember doing a similarly difficult puzzle which was a picture mosaic, where a picture was created of hundreds of very small pictures. The pictures were so unhelpful, at the end I resorted to just trying each piece to places until I finished the puzzle. It was almost like doing a solid color puzzle. By the end I almost hated it and swore never to do any such puzzle again.If you ever think about doing such a puzzle, I recommend that you don't. :)
Congratulations on the grid jigsaw puzzle. I have done probably 100 puzzles nothing quite that difficult looking. Had to stop for a while have 4 I need to open and do. You did a great job in nationals looked like a lot of fun.
I started the first puzzle yesterday, 1000 pc, I’ll finish it today. 👍 I’ve missed the relaxation of puzzling. I put earbuds in, put instrumental Christmas music on and just enjoyed puzzling. ♥️🤗
great video as always! didn't see a comment addressing this, so wanted to add my two cents: I don't think the design is brown graph paper, I think it's the grid used by actual jig-saws (like the woodworking tool). i think that makes the puzzle even more punny and recursive. a jigsaw puzzle about 'jig saws'!
You just randomly came up in my recommended, and I am very surprised that a video of someone just solving some puzzles kept my adhd brain entertained, but you did it. That grid puzzle seemed nuts, kudos to you
Wow! My Mother received a gift of this puzzle and it took 3 days. 7 hours total, as a puzzle master. She griped through the beginning of the bottom part.
When you were showing your research on that second puzzle, that image of the sailors on the sail boat looks like a paint by numbers I did probably about 50 years ago!
I would definitely tape this puzzle to show that I conquered it because no way would I want to do that again nor would I want to inflict this on anybody else (unlike Liam! LOL)
Congrats on finishing this puzzle! I recently attempted the "LIABILITY" black and white striped optical illusion puzzle by blue kazoo and had to quit after about 150-200 pieces. Truly diabolical. It even came with a warning: "This puzzle may not be suitable for people with photo sensitivity. Discretion is advised." I even attempted to "cheat" by putting together another blue kazoo puzzle with the same cut and layering the puzzle on top. But seeing that even that way it would take an absurdly love time and it gave my literal headaches, I called it quits. However, I DID finish YOUR puzzle today, which was challenging for me, but also very satisfying! Thanks for creating such a fun puzzle and lively videos!
Wow my final time guess of 10 hrs was right on the money! I'm curious how much easier the Grid puzzle would have been if it had all standard piece shapes (or if it would be even harder with only the 2-ins 2-outs shape)
The grid was crazy. I would not have finished the puzzle. I have only quit one puzzle before but when I am not having fun, then why? So glad you finished it. Loved all the info you found about the puzzle.
I definitely would have sorted those pieces aligned with the grid like you first thought, pattern alignment my go-to when I'm stuck on large "plain" areas like out-of-focus grass 😄 And those wacky piece shapes would definitely keep me engaged too! The most frustrating puzzle I've done was actually a fairly regular 1000-piece photo of some courtyard/castle, but it was from the 80s and printed on cardboard that was as thick as maybe 3 sheets of printer paper, and the pieces did NOT want to stay together. Every little accidental nudge just destroyed the image. But I was adamant on finishing it, the puzzle had haunted me since I was a kid, and eventually I did it!
I have a 5000 piece puzzle of the Sistine Chapel, and I've POSTPONED it. Started 2020 when Covid hit, didn't finish it before I moved summer 2021. In fact, we only made the border and a little bit more. Planning to at some point, when I have a table big enough, to invite some people over and try to continue it... (currently in bigger chunks in its box. Hopefully some is still assembled when I pick it back up.)
Connecticut’s history provides the clues that solve the puzzle of why we see so many paper-related products (including puzzles) from the Nutmeg State. Connecticut was an early industrial leader in producing paper and wood pulp. Norwich began producing paper in the 1760s, for example. Remember that the early United States was concentrated in the Northeast, and the paper and wood pulp mills needed to be near rivers, with easy transportation of their product to industrial areas. Many members of a community surrounding a paper mill worked there. Other typical paper-mill towns were East Hartford, Seymour, and Windsor Locks. By the mid-1800s Connecticut led the nation in paper production. It’s nice to see that image of architecture of that grand old company building you showed from that era when Connecticut led the way. It would be fun to explore their history a bit more to see when they started making puzzles.
Good job on the Grid Puzzle! Some of us mere mortals easily spend 10 hours on a puzzle. It is nice to see your thought process and how you go about solving this one.
Congrats! Amazing job. I wouldn't have stuck out that grid puzzle. Life is too short for puzzles that aren't fun and I wouldn't have enjoyed that one at all. Thank you for the puzzleYOU code. I'm getting one with the grandkids on it for my dad for Christmas.
I love all the videos with a history treasure hunt element, and it was very satisfying that you didn’t give up. So ‘seventies of them to make it beige and brown!
I have never attempted to do a puzzle with a grid on it and after watching your struggle i don't think i would ever do a grid puzzle. That was very time consuming. Glad to see you finished it i would have thrown it back in the box.
I am new to this channel and I am loving it! Did anyone else pause the video to try and find that piece that she was looking for at the 24 minute mark? LOL I didn't find it.
![BOWKYLION - วิงวอน (ex-change) [Official MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/cLdnZWDaO-w/mqdefault.jpg)
You did it, Karen!! Congrats on solving the puzzle from hell. It was super interesting to see your approach to solving it compared to my approach. I think I pretty exclusively went by the grid pattern as there are a few different line types that make up the grid. I oriented the pieces (as you suggested earlier in the video) to match the final image. This kind of helped, coupled with looking for specific pieces that have a specific line type running through an "out" or "in" at a specific angle. But wowza, it was a tough puzzle for sure. The sheer variety of piece shapes (some were so tiny and some were so big!) definitely did my head in at times. Again, congrats! And apologies for any headaches introducing this puzzle into your world brought. ;)
I definitely used the grid image a bit (being like, ok I need an out with a darker brown line right on the edge of it). I like that there are different approaches you could take!
@@KarenPuzzles Right? As soon as I opened the box, I had a strong feeling you'd want to get your hands on it, given how bizarre the image is along with the insane puzzle shapes. Again, congrats on solving. I feel like we need medals...or at the very least some badges/pins. ;)
A couple of Puzzle nerds is what you guys are...... Insane
here are medals for you both! 🏅🏅This puzzle looks insane!
@@soxnation1000 Awe, shucks!
A poem….. for Karen
Puzzling the puzzles that make you go mad
Will this one be fun? Will this one be bad?
Sifting and sorting, you laugh, then you cry
When you realise. Oh no! And you just wonder why
Why did you start this puzzle today?
Why were you born to love puzzles this way?
You love them, you hate them.
You just can’t pretend
Why does this stupid puzzle just never end?
How long will it last?
Why won’t it stop?
Where is the piece on the floor that you dropped?
You sit and you wonder. But never give up.
Because puzzles are something
that you just………..always love.
I rate this poem a 5 puzzles pieces outta 5
I loved this!
I want to see this written out and made into a 5,000 piece puzzle
@@kileyslife7541 Would be so nice!
Karen. GIRL. Don’t you know us regular folk spend 10 hours on a normal (aka easy) puzzle?! Your experience here is how we often feel with any puzzle! It can take a good while but we keep going because puzzles are fabulous and we like to see a task well done.
Honestly I can spend 10 hours on a puzzle with a very “easy” image so the fact that you finished this one in this amount of time is mind blowing to me haha. I would have wasted at least 2 weeks of my life to get it done. But the satisfaction of finishing a difficult puzzle is always worth it
Exactly! Same here.
I was thinking the same
Same and then suddenly confused why there are grey hairs on my head, I suppose there are worse things to waste your life on.
Even with hard puzzles you never lose any progress, so even if it takes an hour to put a single piece in, that's still progress and you'll get there eventually. I did a 1000 piece photomosaic puzzle and it took me over a month. It was helpful to remind myself that even minimal progress was still progress and I got there in the end. Grid.
So you are actually saying that with analog backup, there is no need for batteries or power to keep the backup? Incredible! 😄
I truly needed to be reminded of that. Thank you 🥰
But it isn't fun.
@@andyiswonderful We each have to decide what we consider fun :-) If you're not enjoying a puzzle, by all means, put it away
Liam is an unintentional evil genius for sending the puzzle.
Ken
@@DJcyberslash nah Ken sent the first one
I love reading editing-Karen's thoughts while watching Karen speak 😂
I've been inspired by Trixie Mattel's editor lately 😂
@@KarenPuzzles icons inspiring icons
@@KarenPuzzles iconic, she has the best editor
@@KarenPuzzles heck yes!!
Need a Trixie x Karen collab
This video was all over the place 😂 Don't worry, I'll be doing an easier and more fun puzzle next week! Would you have finished the Jigsaw Puzzle jigsaw puzzle?
I would do even worser I think 😅
I love your beautiful shirt.
I won't be able to do it
I wouldn't do it for a video, but I can see myself working on it for weeks just to prove something to myself 🤦🏻
Video was fine , I would have tried my best to finish. Probably would have taken longer than 10 hours though lol
This is definitely the type of puzzle that would sit on the table for months and people would stare at, try a couple pieces, then walk away until we eventually get sick of looking at it and put it back in the box. Not for casual puzzling, but you made it happen! 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
The amount of videos Karen makes that start with "This shouldn't be too hard" and end with "I was wrong" is hilarious to me. 🤣
i want to give a moment to appreciate how much research karen did to find out as much as she could with the second puzzle
I love puzzles, but I love easy puzzles. This kinda stuff is honestly a whole different hobby. I'd go crazy trying to put this together
This type of puzzle honestly reminds me of my favourite puzzles - Hello Fish makes gorgeous wooden puzzles, and I have several from their planetary series. They are so well-done and high quality, but also the shapes are weird and difficult. They're a lot of fun, and take me, someone who doesn't puzzle much, about 10 hours per 75 pieces. It's so rewarding though, moreso than a cardboard puzzle imo. I def recommend trying the moon puzzle, if you csn
I'm retired for 1 1/2 yrs. My daughter brought me back to puzzling after MANY years. I was lucky to find you. You are so easy & fun to watch. I love my 300-500 large piece puzzles. I'm living through you. You are amazing!!! Keep up the great work.
In the 80’s grocery stores had generic products that had labels that were very simple and it became a trendy thing to label items in this style. I believe that is what this puzzle is based on.
I like your enthusiasm as that is why I subscribed to your channel,Karen. I do not do puzzles but dig your doing them instead as the vibe you give off is just so nice and kind-of a switch from so much that is negative in this world! Keep it up and stay positive as that is how to live!
To anyone who loves random piece shapes but doesn't want to go crazy due to a repetitive image I'd recommend Eurographics' Wassily Kandinsky puzzle. I've only done one so far but it was sooo much fun. I love doing art puzzles lately because it really makes you appreciate the art so much more and this one is so colorful and full of variety.
The color study of squares? I did that one and adored it :-)
I once worked on a real hard 2000 pcs puzzle. We had started it as a family, at the cottage, over the weekend, and we couldn't finish it (a 1st for us). So I boxed it up, as best I could, and it came w/me from Michigan to Quebec. I opened it up again, months later. I worked on 2 puzzles at the same time. I had to put in at least 1/2 dozen pieces in the hard puzzle, before I could put the other puzzle over it, and work on that one. It took me weeks, but I finally finished the hard puzzle. Sent a pic of it to all the family members who had started it with me :-)
That Eaton puzzle is gorgeous! Having the pieces in the art be giant, the cut be full of weird/atypical pieces... such a great idea!
I can't believe you finished this!
This grid was insane, you're so good at what you do!
At 6:08 : I think the design extends to the sides of the box so you can tell which way it extends!
This seems like the kind of puzzle that is a good training for a competition because you have to push through although you’re not into it and it’s really hard.
I appreciate all the information you seek out and share about these vintage puzzles. They're so interesting to learn more about!
What a challenging grid! A challenge I almost gave up on is my PhD. A year ago I was considering quitting & getting a masters instead. But I did some soul searching & decided to stick with it. My graduation is in April!!! So, soon I’ll have doctorate in microbiology and all it took is 5 years of not giving up😅
I often think with these kind of puzzles that once it is just all the same texture, if it is a busy texture, I would find it easier to find the shapes with the puzzle flipped over so that my eyes can focus on that one thing and not get distracted by the grid. Not that it can't also help, it feels like a tough call and obviously you can't easily switch half way through the puzzle. Congrats on persevering - I think your life choices are awesome, so long as you are also happy with them!
Ok but how COOL are those vintage puzzle boxes?! Looking forward to Karen unintentionally teaching me resilience in this video! 😂
30:56 the moment when I thought Karen’s laughs were about to turn into cries… GRID
This year I found a new job in a foreign country (Japan) and found an apartment for myself! It was super difficult, but I did it and I'm so proud of myself!
My husband laughs when I watch your videos. He says you sound like me saying "why do I do this to myself" - happens often when I'm doing 300-400 pieces of black night sky. I love that grid puzzle. The shapes are awesome. I think I may have a puzzle by that brand in my stash - the image you showed top left of the castle!! I will have to pull out that box when I get home tomorrow.
The 299 cats (and a dog) puzzle from Laurence King puzzle was quite an experience!!! The first time I tried it, I put it right back in the box, ready to sell it. Then I gave it another try cause it's such a different puzzle, and I probably spent 50 hours on it, on and off while doing other puzzles, but it was soooo addictive, and the handful of cats I would place everyday was so worth it! I finished it, and bought the 299 dogs and a cat and the 299 fish and a diver! Can't wait to start them!
Can you PLEASE do a Dollar Store series? I love puzzles but I can only afford cheap ones. I’m interested in the comparisons. Thanks, and love your videos!
I vaguely remember seeing a video on it many years back, it had brands like Puzzlebug.
Also keep a lookout for thrift stores, some of them have basically dollar store prices. I found a Krypt for $2 just last week.
This reminds me of a 1500 sepia toned, Wizard of Oz puzzle I did a couple years ago. Took me forever to do and literally just had to go piece by piece to finish. But it was super satisfying when I finished! I would definitely have had to work it by the grid pattern! Great job finishing!
I'm of the same mind. Once I start something - particularly a puzzle - I simply HAVE to see it through to completion, otherwise why start at all? You simply don't walk off the golf course on the 12th hole, no matter how poorly things are going. Finish the job. There is a certain honor in that. Well done.
It's so nice having a discount that I can actually use in my country (France)! I watch a ton of American/Canadian content creators and often feel left out of discounts, giveaways etc. Thank you :)
I was so happy when they sent me such a long list of countries!
I usually do puzzles without looking at the picture on the box. It’s just as fun
Those clicking sounds of pieces being put where they belong in the puzzle are oh so satisfying to hear! And congratulations on puzzles well done!
That thunk noise of the pieces locking into place is very satisfying.
I really love that you include the puzzling sounds now in the timelapses!
One I noticed is that the piece orientation seemed to be on a diagonal from the 'grid' so that was probably another element in making this one extremely challenging... But at least it wasn't the Heinz all red puzzle. Lol
I’ve done that puzzle before!!! Sometime in the 80’s. Hated it. Drove me CRAZY!!! Ended up solving it by turning it over. It’s actually easier to do it blank green. There were a few with that same crazy piece shape with really tricky images, and they were easier upside down, too. There’s a pattern so ‘squiggly line’, regular cut, both horizontally and vertically, and turned a quarter turn. It’s actually easier to see the shapes on the back, as the grid doesn’t interfere.
Programming complex ideas into excel can be a challenging puzzle. You program each cell to do a specific thing and the program comes together like origami.
The Eaton Puzzle was much better than I thought it would be. It's so nice.
Way to bear and grid it with that Jigsaw Puzzle puzzle. I always appreciate the research and history you do on puzzles!
LOL, Grid and Bear It would have been a great title for this video 😅.
My family and I got our grandmother a custom Ravensburger puzzle and we can't wait!
I just sorted a clients puzzle that she’s had out for two months. Just to help get her going. It made her so happy and she sent me a picture of it completed two days later😊 I love watching these videos ❤
I'm currently doing a 2,000 after you inspired me when I was working on a 1,500. We shall 👀 if I can finish it. These two are the biggest I've ever tried and I'm 57 yrs old! No, I wouldn't have tried that puzzle at all. So congrats 👏 to you!!
So things that I persevered through like you did on this grid puzzle:
Grinding in JRPGs. Breeding for competitive pokemon. Breeding for shiny pokemon. Forgetting your bus money so you have to walk home.
When it comes to something like this puzzle, you just have to find a strategy and get stuck in. You also have to be flexible enough to abandon your strategy of it's not working and find a better one. _And be patient_ .
This one was fun and educational. Thanks, Karen!
Now you’ve set me on a Pam Marker stalking search. I have to Connecticut the dots! I love that you give so much history on the companies of these puzzles.
Just want to say thank you for the Puzzle You discount! I've never heard of this company but as soon as you showed your puzzle I had to pause and jump over to that site! I made one of my almost 2 year old son and I am SOOOO excited to get it and put it together. I am actually giddy with excitement. Thank you!
This is why TH-cam can be awesome
The fun and enjoyment and passion for jigsaws is something i never thought id ever watch...buy here we are 🇬🇧🇺🇸
I love rubbing puzzles after I finish them. They have cool textures.
Hey Karen, I am a slow puzzler. I come watch your videos to pick your brain. I learn your tecnique, so I can maybe improve on my game plan for puzzling. Keep inspiring.
Great job Karen, well done on persevering.
Sorting pieces by their shape is the way I always used to do puzzles and, for some strange reason, it had never occurred to me to sort by colours until I started watching your videos.
I loved the first puzzle Timelapse. It was a beautiful solve.
Wow! You really took us on an emotional/intellectual roller coaster with this video! It started out like a light and breezy little romcom, then a little documentary in the middle, then a dark comedy at the end, where it was funny for the viewers, but not for the "character" in the film. I don't know if there's another video of your where I laughed as much as I did with this one 😄
There used to be by a line by MB called "world's craziest puzzles" or similar in the 90s. Their hardest puzzle IMO was a Dalmatian puzzle that had the same image printed on the back side but rotated by 90°. That one was a nightmare, maybe you could find it! I loved some of their puzzles that were more like logic puzzles! You had to first put together all the elements (windows, crossings in a park) and then put together the puzzle based on the clues! Super fun! There's also a line I'm surprised I have never seen on your channel called Wazgij, where you have one scene on the box but the picture on the puzzle is what happens afterwards (e.g. a robber about to enter a store on the box and the robbery is the puzzle image). You should try to find those, they're so different from normal puzzles. Lot's of fun 😀
I have that Dalmatian puzzle and gave up on it within a week, lol. I've kept it on the very off chance that I'd like to attempt it again. It's one of a series from Buffalo Games puzzles called the "World's Most Difficult Jigsaw Puzzle."
The narrative, the drama, it was so good editing xD kept having flashbacks to 90s teen tvshows
You’re doing a public service…working these puzzles so we don’t have to!!! 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾Congrats!!! 🎉🎉
I sympathize with you and your grid. I am currently doing a 1000 piece random cut puzzle called “Quiet Forest”. By far, the hardest puzzle I can remember doing. It’s been on my kitchen table for at least 1 month now. I’m about 2/3 done. On a lighter note, after a two week delay, your puzzle was finally delivered.
Thank you for getting one!
I think it would be fun to have a difficult puzzle like this “grid” puzzle as a bonus round at the world championships. All those puzzlers are so good it would be fun to see them challenged with an almost impossible puzzle😊
Always good to see more of Karen's puzzle-based detective work. 👍☺️
I just looooove that you are including the click Sounds in some shots of putting pieces in
Congrats Karen on the hard GRID puzzle! I would have given up, but I was able to persevere on my biggest challenge yet. My dissertation...Thanks for your wonderful content.
This was a fun video! I enjoyed the history and the puzzles. Watching you piece together the Grid was so impressive!!
Grid The puzzle I nearly gave up on was the Ravensburgurger puzzle villainous no 16 903 done for my grandson seemed to be on the table for weeks so well done Karen x
Karen, I wrote a puzzle poem a few weeks ago. It's very short, but here it is, for your enjoyment.
The red and blue and yellow ones fit nicely into place,
The ornaments upon the tree and presents at its base.
Now all I have are branches green, pine needle pieces strange.
A corner here, an edge piece there, I struggle to arrange.
So funny to see this video today since I ordered a puzzle from PuzzleYou just a day before you posted this video! Your stamp of approval makes me so much happier with my purchase.
I live to hear that! And you could try emailing them to find see if you could get the discount applied!
Making and soldering jump ring are tedious and stressful but preserved and got better
Lol this is so adorable... i'm working on my own nightmare right now.
Nice. I would have solved it. Totally. Must not give up! The hardest one I've done was a Heye puzzle titled "Forest Cathedral". It starts out okay, but the trees along the edges with all the tiny little flowers drove me insane and there was not enough piece shape variety so that sometimes you would think a piece would fit, only to discover an hour later, that no, that did not go there and you have to rework the outside again. I've built it twice. Because once obviously wasn't enough. I was smart though. I had a picture frame it would fit in. So it is permanently on display now. It's a beautiful picture. Just a very painful build.
Being cooper black like that my guess was 70's graphic design has such a cool history and led to some impossible puzzles
I'm watching your video and see and hear you struggling while I'm at a Puzzle I left lying in the corner in a Puzzle-rug for about a year, because I don't wanted to finish the hard part of it😅... The ground is a greyish white with a little bit of Texture, it's a bone-stone-plastered ground 🙈(it's a Puzzle my husband gifted to me on christmas many years ago with a picture of us in our wedding carriage, which is standing in our yard in front of houses and garages, and I knew from the beginning, it's gonna be hard to solve it, because of the many grey tones and the blurriness of the picture) . It is really helping me to keep up the work on it while watching or hearing your videos of difficult puzzles. Thank you for your work and passion. Many greatings from Germany. Yours Kerstin
That grid puzzle would have defeated me in about ten minutes, but the first puzzle was so pretty!
Great job finishing this grid puzzle. Must have been extremely difficult. I remember doing a similarly difficult puzzle which was a picture mosaic, where a picture was created of hundreds of very small pictures. The pictures were so unhelpful, at the end I resorted to just trying each piece to places until I finished the puzzle. It was almost like doing a solid color puzzle. By the end I almost hated it and swore never to do any such puzzle again.If you ever think about doing such a puzzle, I recommend that you don't. :)
Congratulations on the grid jigsaw puzzle. I have done probably 100 puzzles nothing quite that difficult looking. Had to stop for a while have 4 I need to open and do. You did a great job in nationals looked like a lot of fun.
So proud that you never gave up. But after watching you for so long I knew you would not give up. ❤
I started the first puzzle yesterday, 1000 pc, I’ll finish it today. 👍 I’ve missed the relaxation of puzzling. I put earbuds in, put instrumental Christmas music on and just enjoyed puzzling. ♥️🤗
great video as always! didn't see a comment addressing this, so wanted to add my two cents: I don't think the design is brown graph paper, I think it's the grid used by actual jig-saws (like the woodworking tool). i think that makes the puzzle even more punny and recursive. a jigsaw puzzle about 'jig saws'!
Interesting theory!
Exactly the kind of puzzles I'm looking for
You did it! Not sure I would have persevered. Proud of you. Very satisfying watching the video. That GRID did not stop you.
You just randomly came up in my recommended, and I am very surprised that a video of someone just solving some puzzles kept my adhd brain entertained, but you did it. That grid puzzle seemed nuts, kudos to you
Wow! My Mother received a gift of this puzzle and it took 3 days. 7 hours total, as a puzzle master. She griped through the beginning of the bottom part.
Okay I really really want to get this now. I love puzzles with whacky shapes! Similar shapes all the time tend to get boring
I am doing my fist puzz 3D while watching your videos and you are an exemple of patience and dertermination that i do not have
Well done Karen for sticking with it!!👏👏👏
When you were showing your research on that second puzzle, that image of the sailors on the sail boat looks like a paint by numbers I did probably about 50 years ago!
Yes! You did it. Congratulations! On finishing it and on 200,000 subscribers. I hoped you would still get to that in 2022! 🤗
Grid
I would definitely tape this puzzle to show that I conquered it because no way would I want to do that again nor would I want to inflict this on anybody else (unlike Liam! LOL)
Congrats on finishing this puzzle! I recently attempted the "LIABILITY" black and white striped optical illusion puzzle by blue kazoo and had to quit after about 150-200 pieces. Truly diabolical. It even came with a warning: "This puzzle may not be suitable for people with photo sensitivity. Discretion is advised." I even attempted to "cheat" by putting together another blue kazoo puzzle with the same cut and layering the puzzle on top. But seeing that even that way it would take an absurdly love time and it gave my literal headaches, I called it quits. However, I DID finish YOUR puzzle today, which was challenging for me, but also very satisfying! Thanks for creating such a fun puzzle and lively videos!
Wow my final time guess of 10 hrs was right on the money! I'm curious how much easier the Grid puzzle would have been if it had all standard piece shapes (or if it would be even harder with only the 2-ins 2-outs shape)
Omg I love that black and white sweater SO MUCH AAA it’s adorable!
The grid was crazy. I would not have finished the puzzle. I have only quit one puzzle before but when I am not having fun, then why? So glad you finished it. Loved all the info you found about the puzzle.
I definitely would have sorted those pieces aligned with the grid like you first thought, pattern alignment my go-to when I'm stuck on large "plain" areas like out-of-focus grass 😄 And those wacky piece shapes would definitely keep me engaged too!
The most frustrating puzzle I've done was actually a fairly regular 1000-piece photo of some courtyard/castle, but it was from the 80s and printed on cardboard that was as thick as maybe 3 sheets of printer paper, and the pieces did NOT want to stay together. Every little accidental nudge just destroyed the image. But I was adamant on finishing it, the puzzle had haunted me since I was a kid, and eventually I did it!
That's the worst, when it's the quality of the pieces that stands in your way!
I have a 5000 piece puzzle of the Sistine Chapel, and I've POSTPONED it. Started 2020 when Covid hit, didn't finish it before I moved summer 2021. In fact, we only made the border and a little bit more. Planning to at some point, when I have a table big enough, to invite some people over and try to continue it...
(currently in bigger chunks in its box. Hopefully some is still assembled when I pick it back up.)
Connecticut’s history provides the clues that solve the puzzle of why we see so many paper-related products (including puzzles) from the Nutmeg State. Connecticut was an early industrial leader in producing paper and wood pulp. Norwich began producing paper in the 1760s, for example. Remember that the early United States was concentrated in the Northeast, and the paper and wood pulp mills needed to be near rivers, with easy transportation of their product to industrial areas. Many members of a community surrounding a paper mill worked there. Other typical paper-mill towns were East Hartford, Seymour, and Windsor Locks. By the mid-1800s Connecticut led the nation in paper production. It’s nice to see that image of architecture of that grand old company building you showed from that era when Connecticut led the way. It would be fun to explore their history a bit more to see when they started making puzzles.
That’s such a great point!
Good job on the Grid Puzzle! Some of us mere mortals easily spend 10 hours on a puzzle. It is nice to see your thought process and how you go about solving this one.
Congrats! Amazing job. I wouldn't have stuck out that grid puzzle. Life is too short for puzzles that aren't fun and I wouldn't have enjoyed that one at all. Thank you for the puzzleYOU code. I'm getting one with the grandkids on it for my dad for Christmas.
I love all the videos with a history treasure hunt element, and it was very satisfying that you didn’t give up. So ‘seventies of them to make it beige and brown!
You ask yourself why and I think it's because you love challenges and it's rewarding when you accomplish them.
I have never attempted to do a puzzle with a grid on it and after watching your struggle i don't think i would ever do a grid puzzle. That was very time consuming. Glad to see you finished it i would have thrown it back in the box.
I am new to this channel and I am loving it! Did anyone else pause the video to try and find that piece that she was looking for at the 24 minute mark? LOL I didn't find it.