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How to fold an origami octopus

Fold a triangle, cut it into a column with a rounded head and crease it into eighths. Pleat a mantle under the head, snip a comb up from the folded edge for eight doubled legs, then fan them out and curl their tips.

You need: 1 square sheet (15 cm), red or orange on one side, small scissors, a ruler and a white gel pen or paper dots for the eyes. Hard, 17 steps, about 20 minutes.

Steps

  1. Make a triangle. Fold the bottom corner up to the top corner, red side out. Every leg will be a loop of the folded edge along the bottom.
  2. Cut a column. Find the middle of the folded bottom edge. Cut straight up 3 cm either side of it, cutting off both side corners, to leave a column 6 cm wide.
  3. Round the head. Cut the pointed top into a round dome, starting on each side 6.5 cm above the folded edge. Keep it as tall as you can, about 9.5 cm at the middle.
  4. Fold in half. Fold the column in half, left edge onto the right edge.
  5. In half again. Fold it in half again, right edges over onto the left fold.
  6. And again. Fold it in half once more, the same way, and crease all the layers hard.
  7. Open it out. Unfold the last fold.
  8. Open again. Unfold the second fold.
  9. Open flat. Unfold the column flat. Its seven upright creases mark out eight strips.
  10. Fold the head down. Fold the head down over the front on a crease straight across, 6.2 cm above the folded bottom edge.
  11. Pleat the mantle. Fold the head back up on a crease 3 mm lower. The hidden pleat gives the head a crisp bottom edge, like an octopus's mantle above its legs.
  12. Cut the comb. Cut up every crease from the folded bottom edge: the middle one 5 cm, the next ones out 5.2 cm, then 5.4 cm, and the outer ones 5.6 cm.
  13. Taper the legs. Taper every strip to a 2.5 mm tip, keeping the middle of the fold. Trim inner edges from the slit's top, outer edges from 5, 2.8, 3.8, 4.5 cm up (middle out).
  14. Fan out four legs. Number strips 1-4 from the outside in. Fold strip 1 out on a crease from its slit's top to its outer edge 1.1 cm lower. Fold strip 3 out behind, dropping 2.5 cm.
  15. Fan out two more. Fold strip 2 out over the front the same way, its crease dropping 1.6 cm. Leave the middle two hanging straight down: eight legs fan out.
  16. Curl the legs. 1.6 cm from each leg's tip, crease a long slant across it so the tip turns out a little, away from the middle.
  17. Curl the tips. Crease a second slant 0.8 cm from each tip, so the tip curls out and up even more.

Hello, octopus!

Give it two big white eyes with black middles and a little smile, then curl each leg tip round a pencil.

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