Happy Birthday, CrossweirdTV!

Today we’re coming to you with a very different, very special offering.

TL;DR: MEMBERS OF OUR LOVELY COMMUNITY MADE A WHOLE PUZZLE HUNT TO CELEBRATE OUR BIRTHDAY! Link here: Crossweird Puzzle Hunt 2022

About two years ago, as the pandemic started, we began solving NYT crosswords together every day on Zoom. We had both been getting back into solving crosswords after our own hiatuses and found that a daily solve was a way to connect, check in and zone out during, you know, Unprecedented Times™. We started joking early on about streaming our solves on Twitch. We came up with the name Crossweird and renamed our daily Gmail calendar alert for it. It took us (Momes) a year to warm up to the idea, but one day, for no reason in particular, we decided to give it a shot.

Here we are a year later - it’s been a whole rotation around the sun of streaming! We started out solving exclusively New York Times puzzles, and then were graciously introduced to the whole wide world of independent puzzles. Indies have been one of about 69,420 unexpected blessings of choosing to take our solving off Zoom and onto Twitch. In being introduced to them, we have become connected with the amazing community of indie constructors and solvers, expanded our understanding of what crosswords can be and have started making the puzzles that previously seemed to have been created only by magic or Will Shortz.

For anyone who hangs out in our streams, it goes almost without saying that the community that has formed around Crossweird has become the single most valuable consequence of solving puzzles online. We have the smartest, funniest, kindest group of people choosing to spend time with us on our stream and in our Discord throughout the week. The crossword community at large is filled with wonderful people, so perhaps it should come as no surprise, but it continues to amaze us what a comfy little corner of the internet the people who come into our streams help to carve out. THANK YOU!

As a case in point, please see the puzzle hunt created by some of these folks for our birthday! EXCUSE ME?? We haven’t solved them before posting, so we can’t tell you much about them, but they should be solvable whether or not you’re familiar with our stream. We really hope you give them a shot so you can also experience the talents of our friends!

Thank you so much to the following for their contributions:
Acommonrose
Alex Boisvert
DadGum
DragonEngineer97
Glentopher
Howard Barkin
Jeremy Horwitz
Jsmr525
JoeAdultman
Kateschmate
Kelsey
Lu
Meatdaddy69420
MP
No-Feet McGee
Quiarados
Redkeg
Scatter
Shannon Rapp
Slugbiker
Steve Mossberg
Tyler Hinman
Will Eisenberg
ZeroPercentSneaky

Thank you to anyone who has spent any amount of time with us over the last year. We hope it’s been as much a respite for you and as it has for us. May the benevolent whir of The Wheel guide you all!

Love,
Dob & Momes

Crossweird Puzzle Hunt 2022