To assume nice, normal reasonable people look at the box when doing a jigsaw puzzle?

[SkippyDies]

Following a post on FB yesterday when I revealed my new and most excellent jigsaw puzzle assembly command station, a friend, possibly an ex-friend now commented with surprise and alarm about the presence of the jigsaw puzzle box in my photos.

To my own surprise and alarm apparently looking at the box is cheating.

She and her family look at the box briefly before starting and then put it away. They jigsaw blind.

I’m very surprised that this is considered to be normal behaviour.

She did a poll on FB but it’s not really valid is it, what with her friends list containing a cohort of weird non-boxers. It’s a family thing apparently.

Maybe mn can help clarify that she is a giant freak.

YANBU = I look at the box
YABU = I do my jigsaws blind

*all the while

I don't just look at the box. I look at the box with a magnifying glass.

I was brought up to believe that looking at the box was a complete cheat, & frankly, indicative of a lack of moral fibre & resilience.

Dm specialised in those jigsaws that have over 1000 pieces & an image of baked beans on a plate/1000 identical Siamese cats/750 pieces of sky & 250 of grass.

I hate jigsaws .

Dd1 has inherited the jigsawing gene, however, & introduced her grandma to the 'what happens next' type, which she adores. Dd1 is also a no box purist - she caught me sneaking a peek once & went full on Blackadder's Puritan Aunt on me...

This thread has made me sad because I frigging love jigsaws but one of my cats makes it his mission to destroy them to the extent that I've stopped bothering to try to do one!

Next week she will be doing them blindfolded just to add to the difficulty.
How strange, I think I'd forget the picture completely if the box wasn't in front of me 😂

YABU to do jigsaws. Dreary, dreary, dull.

But, YANBU to look at the picture on the box.

I have done a few puzzles where the picture on the box wasn't the actual picture of the puzzle.

Where the fuck are you getting your puzzles?

Like another poster up thread i use the box and sometimes a magnifying glass.
My mother used to turn the pieces around and complete the jigsaw back to front.😊

Love this thread! Thanks Op for some light relief. And yes YANBU everyone normal looks at the lid!

I am still struggling with my giant tiger one. Bloody kitchen is covered in Frosties

This thread has made me sad because I frigging love jigsaws but one of my cats makes it his mission to destroy them to the extent that I've stopped bothering to try to do one

And there we have it. The reason why I would never even attempt a jigsaw, or knitting or crochet for that matter, Because The Cats Would Not Let Me. It's not even worth the bother trying.

But if I did do jigsaws, no, looking at the box is not cheating. OP your friend is deranged.

Definitely without the box/picture. It's more challenging. Also try not to do the edges first.

When I was small I was famous for doing them upside down as they were too easy using the picture.

I am in the hardcore category!

It might be that I've already started on the gin even though I'm supposed to be WFH but this thread is fucking hilarious.

Trying to locate the piece from the pic is part of the fun surely?!

Well if you're going to look at it that way NameChange and think that looking at the picture, doing the edges first, or even doing them the right way up is making it 'too easy' why not go the whole hog and do it face side down? Now there's a challenge to keep you occupied.

I bought a couple of jgsaws when lockdown started.

First of all I didn't realise how big they are. I am doing a 1000 piece round one and it has left about 10cm of available space at the end of the table by the time the puzzle and the pieces I am currently using are laid out. I barely have room for the wine. My next one has 2000 pieces. It's a decent sized table but I am worried.

Second of all, I try to remember to look at the box, but mostly for working out where sections go in relation to each other. My best moments are when I look at a new piece and realise it is exactly the piece I need to fill in a gap. Don't know if it's shape or colour, but that is so satisfying when it all goes ping.

First time I do a puzzle, it’s with the box.

Any time I redo one it is without, otherwise it’s too easy! It does make you think more actually, it is a different way of doing them.

I store the pieces in the upside down boxes so don't use them for the picture and do it blind. I think some people just find it easier than others. As a child once I had done it normally I would turn it over and do the back (no picture at all). My brain is just able to see how pieces fit together very easily. As long as everyone is enjoying doing their jigsaws the way they do it does it really matter?

Might do another jigsaw this weekend 😁

Look at the box..... are these people on glue ?

We do look a the box! (not for kids jigsaws though)

What I find amusing is that DH says he has his own 'system' and is very proud of it. His 'system' entails doing the edges first.........

HI Barbara - I did do them face side down when I was a child!

I look at the box first and then will refer to it if I get really stuck - don’t have it in front of me all the time.

The way to enjoy a jigsaw I think is seeing the picture emerge as you do it, alongside the pic on the box, so I wouldn't do it any other way and lessen the fun. Sounds grim doing it blind. We've had a few made from our own photos and that really is good, the end result is bigger and more detailed than the box pic of course, even more to enjoy.

Of course there aren't rules, but I do remember jigsaws being ruined for me as a child when a visiting adult told me that I had to do the edges first. Before that life was good.

I really enjoy doing it using the image not the frame. There were some great ones called impossipuzzles (I think) a few decades ago that had no edge pieces and five extra pieces to cause confusion. They were great!