Origami Folding Knife Instructions

Prepare the Paper

• Clear off a waist-level flat surface, such as a table, on which to begin your origami project. Use a square sheet of thin folding paper--a 6-inch by 6-inch sheet is ideal. Use paper that has different colors on each side, such as one side white and the other side color. Buy this kind of dual-colored paper at art stores or in the craft sections of big-box stores.
  
  

Folding Steps

• Fold the paper diagonally into a triangle in both directions, forming two central creases, with the colored side up. Set the paper facing you like a diamond and fold the side points in to form a kite, with the lower left and right sides meeting along the middle-crease line. On each side, take the middle-top flap and fold it to the outside edge of the kite, so the point meets the edge of the paper.
  
  Fold the outer right and left corners in, making a small fold along the new edge created by the corner flap. Unfold these creases and flip the paper over. Refold these small flaps in against the white side of the paper. Tighten the creases.
  
  With the white side of the paper still facing up, fold the whole right side in half until it meets the middle-crease line. Fold the bottom point up until it meets the side paper, squaring off the bottom of the shape. Fold the entire left side in half until it meets the middle line.
  
  Take the still-pointed tip and fold it up into a small triangle, squaring off the tip. Make a small fold in on each side to create a new pointed tip. This is the knife tip. Fold the entire piece of paper in half along the middle-crease line. This shape should now look similar to a utility knife.
  
  Unfold the paper down the middle. Take the blade section--which should be white if you are using two-colored paper--and fold it flat at a 90-degree angle across the top of the paper. Fold it down in the opposite direction. This creates the spring for the folding aspects of the knife. Fold this up from the table at a 90-degree angle.
  
  To finish your origami knife, fold the blade part down in between the colored sides so the blade is inside. Press down on all the folds.