After nearly seven years of writing for Tools and Toys, there are still times when a neat item crosses my desk — in a manner of speaking — and makes me burst out, “Whaaa???” This puzzle roll-up mat is one of them.

The idea is, if you’re in the middle of doing a jigsaw puzzle on it at the dinner table and need to put it away so you can, y’know, have dinner, you just roll the mat up and stash it somewhere without losing your progress. It’s like a save point for puzzles. (Pretty sure I just dated myself there.)

It’s a real simple (yet ingenious) contraption, all said. All it is is a nonslip felt mat (46″ x 26″) that wraps around an inflatable tube, with a few elastic fasteners to hold it together. It holds puzzles up to 1,500 pieces, which is more than enough for most people’s needs, and because the tube has more give than, say, a cardboard tube, it won’t damage the pieces when rolling them up.

What a neat idea. Maybe it’s old hat to some of you out there, but it’s sure news to me. Get it for $16 on Amazon.