A DIY Origami Notebook to Keep in Your Jeans' Small Pocket | Hacker News Reader

A DIY Origami Notebook to Keep in Your Jeans' Small Pocket

mostlymaths.net

67 pointsRBerenguel27 comments

Also check out the PocketMod. It has similar foldings, is customizable with "mods" and has its own website since 2005: http://www.pocketmod.com/

I got the idea from the pocketmod, but mine has more pages (more cuts) and is smaller. Or at least, that was the way it was when I last checked its website.

So you basically forked a piece of paper!

More or less :) I wanted more pages, and I like it smaller, too.

That reminds me of a Flash calendar/todo application that had a super successful "sign up for out beta" demo a few years ago. Unfortunately the name completely escapes me. Basically they had made a video demo of what the product would be, the Internet went crazy over it, the product came along little by little but never met real success.

The PocketMod reminds me of it because with that product you could print your calendar in a similar fashion.

Does that ring a bell to anybody?

I also used that Flash thing a long while ago. I think it had some relation with the PocketMod site, but I don't remember exactly (and I don't have the bookmark, this was in my Windows days and when the PC died I didn't bother copying bookmarks).

Nice idea, although technically it's not origami if you need to cut the paper.

Yeah it is Kirigami if you cut it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirigami

Oh, didn't know that. Thanks!

I'm pretty sure that every piece of paper I've ever seen has been cut.

Never "made" paper in elementary school? :)

Nice article! If anyone is having trouble figuring out the pictures exactly what to do, my girlfriend did some illustrations for Poets and Writers Magazine that might complement them:

http://www.pw.org/content/diy_how_to_make_and_bind_chapbooks

I think the first one ("DIY: How to Make a Pocket-Size Book") is the same as what is illustrated here, but I linked to the top in case people are interested in the other stitched variations too. The first half is how to set up a template in Word, and the second half (starting at #13) covers what this article does in a slightly different style.

In the link is the same as the PocketMod, only 8 pages. I got the idea from the PM, I just wanted more pages. As a side effect they had to be smaller, which was good because my to-do is usually pretty short, but I like to start a new one for each day.

Here's a simpler version. It has only 8 pages, but the pages are somewhat larger and the whole booklet sits flatter in a pocket. Here goes:

1) Fold (8.5x11) sheet of paper in half (like a hamburger, not a hot dog - in other words, don't fold it "lengthwise".)(Make all folds like this).

2) Fold in half again.

3) Fold in half again.

4) Now open (twice), so you're looking at the paper after the first fold. You should be holding it in landscape orientation in front of you. The fold should be at the top and the paper should be open at the bottom.

5) See the vertical line running down the center? Rip (or cut, but ripping works just fine) that line to the halfway mark (the center of the page). (You're almost done.)

6) Now open the paper all the way, and refold it once lengthwise (like a hotdog). You should be able to grab an end in each hand and see an open diamond shape (rhomboid) in the middle.

7) Gently push the two ends towards the center. You'll see the bottom page start to collapse and fold into the page in your left hand. Just keep folding the pages onto each other, and fold the 4th/last one to make the back page/cover. Voila!

Let me know if I need to clarify my instructions.

This is the idea in pocketmod.com. I see I should have linked it from my own post, for people wanting bigger pages. Also, if you happen to have A3 paper (or "double Legal"), you can use my method to create a bigger version of yours with more pages

Thanks! Very simple and convenient, only problem I had was a little uncertainty with the folding direction after the last cuts.

There are 12 pages when complete (not counting front and back cover) for anyone wondering.

Awesome! Not only useful but elegant, too.

My problem with Moleskins, etc. is that I always lose them, since they're either hard to stick in your jeans pockets or make you uncomfortable if you do so.

Brilliant! Thanks for sharing this. I am going to make one of this.

The thing that makes it wonderful is that if I ever need an A4 paper, I can just unfold it!

Another activity for me to do with my daughter :)

I tried but couldn't figure it out, so my wife had to help me (it helps click to zoom into the picture). After making it, I have to say it's pretty lame.

I can't figure it out after "Pinch this side" near the end. I feel like there's a step he's not showing.

Maybe I forgot to take a picture, I'll check tomorrow. Just try to make it flat, from the side it should look like a cross. Now I think about it, that picture is very misleading, I'll change it tomorrow morning, thanks for making me think about it!

If you like origami:

http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/between-the-folds/

Nice site. I folded a simpler version of that "stacked thing" on the right side: it is very fun and looks very nice even done with cheap standard grade paper (although the depicted version is amazing). The design below-left is likely to be Paul Jackson's, he loves this kind of abstract "snake-skin-like" structures.

If you happen to like origami... These masks are terrific: http://www.flickr.com/photos/origamijoel/sets/1783175/ I started to pre-crease a sheet with triangles to try to do one of these but got tired middle-way. It is amazing the work he does with these.

What happens when you forget it and accidentally wash it?

It becomes wet.

<i>Really</i> wet!

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