Katie Green and Our New Jigsaw Puzzle!

Autumn and winter is the time to cosy up with a hot cuppa, stare into the fireplace, knit stitch after stitch, and indulge in one of our favourite cold-weather pastimes: Jigsaw puzzling! A little while ago, we put one of Katie Green's fabulous illustrations on a puzzle, and you (and we!) all loved it so much, all of the puzzles we got were gone in a flash.

Well - we looked through the archives of the illustrations our pal Katie has done for us, and realized we had a glorious giant one from the Annual (issue one) that would be fabulous for another puzzle: "Spot Mr. Smoke"!

"Spot Mr. Smoke" is a delightful depiction of our mill, including a little glimpse at our showroom, and of course Mr. Smoke, John and Juliet's beloved old cat, who's hiding in the midst of the creative woolly chaos that is a day at the mill!

The original illustration is twice the size, so this 750 piece puzzle is just one half of it. The second half will make its appearance at some point down the line!

View the Jigsaw Puzzle

I took the opportunity to have a little chat with Katie - it's always a treat to spend time with them and hear about where their inspiration comes from and how they create their gorgeous art!

We all just love your work so much here at JAT! It’s whimsical and intricate and no matter where you look on any of your illustrations, you’re guaranteed to discover something new. Could you tell us a little about your journey in illustrating? When did you start and how did you arrive at where you are today?

For the new jigsaw puzzle, we went back to an illustration you did for the very first issue of the Annual. How was the process of transforming the print illustration into a puzzle format?

We were very fortunate in this case that the original illustration was already in a square shape, just the right size for a 750 piece puzzle! So I didn't have to make any changes to the drawing itself, however I did create some new artwork for the box - the Spot Mr Smoke title lettering is brand new, and it was a fun challenge to match the aesthetic of the original illustration so that they could blend together.

I always find it fascinating to go back to older creative work – sometimes I discover new things, and other times I cringe a little. Are there bits of the illustration-turned-puzzle that you still really love, and others that you would draw a little differently now?

I think the things I love most about this illustration are the very same bits that make me cringe a little!! Because right in the middle is a picture of me, along with my friend Becks of Tiny Fibre Studio, shopping in the mill showroom. Of course, I don't look much like that any more, and I feel much more myself since I started wearing my hair really short, but I wouldn't want to change that old version of me who is included in this illustration because it represents a moment in time.

Likewise, I love that John and Juliet are both included in this illustration, and their beloved Mr Smoke of course. There are mill folk pictured who no longer work here, and of course many lovely new mill folk who've joined since and aren't included. There's also at least one machine I know has moved on! So while it would have been possible (if a bit time consuming!) to update the illustration to represent the mill in 2025, I really love that this illustration captures a different time, a bit of history if you like. I'm still really proud of it and happy to see it brought to new life in this puzzle.

If you ask me, jigsaw puzzles are the perfect pastime for those cosy autumn and winter days when the wind is howling outside. What are some of the things that you love to do during this season?

I'm definitely an avid puzzler too! But knitting of course is my other go-to activity for those cosy long evenings by the fire. Jack, my dog, is a bit of a terror when it comes to jigsaw puzzles (he likes to chew cardboard boxes!) but when I knit, he curls up in my lap like a contented cat. 

Thank you so much, Katie, for taking the time to chat with me! You can find Katie over on Youtube, Patreon and Instagram. Make sure to check out their shop too – they have oodles and oodles of amazing sheepy- and nature-themed goodies!