Welcome! I’m Karen Kent. I’ve been doing jigsaw puzzles since I was a kid back in the 80s, when our family puzzling together was a tradition. Once I moved out, I got out of the habit. In September 2025, my husband and I separated, and I was looking for hobbies. One of the first things I bought for my new apartment was a bundle of Pomegranate brand puzzles.

Weeks later, I visited friends who also puzzled, and one of them asked if I’d thought of competing. Competing in what? I was…well, puzzled. And that was how I stumbled into the world of speed puzzling, where people try to put together a puzzle as fast as they can. More importantly, I met the puzzling community–and what wonderful, welcoming, kind people they are.

While the top speed puzzlers may be competing with each other to see who’s the fastest, the rest of us are doing it to set personal records, for bragging rights with our friends, for the adrenalin rush, or for pure joy. Or all of the above! We cheer each other on.

I’m never going to be a top-tier speed puzzler, and that doesn’t bother me in the slightest. I’m having the time of my life! Whether I’m speed puzzling or casual puzzling, it’s a great way for me to relieve stress, take my mind off everything else, and just focus on putting each piece into place.

I’m planning on using this blog to share my puzzling experiences and observations with you. I’ll talk about everything from the basics of doing jigsaw puzzles to the finer details of speed puzzling. And I’ll also point you to the great resources already out there: podcasts, YouTube channels, puzzle associations, etc.

Join me on my journey to become even more perpetually puzzled! And let me know what you’d like me to talk about. You can reach me at karen@puzzled.blog.