Anyone who has visited my origami website, my dearest website of all, and has read the introductory text, has learned that my big goal my big target as far as folding goes was to fold one amazing model: Five Intersecting Tetrahedra aka FIT aka Origami Star.
I have folded and folded, learned tricks and developed skills until one day I said to myself: "Why wouldn't I try it?" And true, there was not a single reason why I should not try. I believed it would be difficult, but knew that it was plausible. I've seen it done on so many photos all over the Internet. In so many sizes, so many pretty colours. It was tempting, and there came time when my reservations towards its difficulty and my questionable skills were cast aside and disregarded.
But the beginning was really difficult! In hindsight, the most difficult thing about it was to make myself stop guessing just how oh-so-very-difficult ti will be and to start working - finally!
So I've mobilised all available resources: a book, web sites, O-list. Google Image search and YouTube. I found diagrams. I found explanations and advice (million thanks to good o-listers!). I found photos. Videos too. I was all-prepared but somehow still not ready to plunge in.
As it is usually the case with me and difficult projects, it took some time of not doing them, for me to grow to know them better, think about them and then finally actually work on them. This phase of "not doing" is somehow good in terms that I think the problem through and it takes less time and less errors when I start doing it (or am I just kidding myself?).
And so, on one fine day I picked up my dusty half-finished modules (which are, by the way, not difficult to fold at all), crossed my fingers (in my mind's eyes, of course - who could fold with crossed fingers? i suspect there are people ready to try this just for the sake of fun, but not me, not jet anyway) and got started on the first tetrahedra. It was black, and it looked really cool. I've heard that locking can get a bit tricky, but it gave me not much hard time.
I had a so-far-so-good feeling, but didn't want to get overexcited too soon. I did the second one - piece of cake, you can't go wrong there!
The third one, however, is incomparably more difficult. It took some serious thinking, leaving aside and returning, but I was certain that I was on the right track. And I was content and very happy. And what's the most important, looked great! So great that I had to take some pictures of it at that phase.
The fourth one was the trickiest of all, in my opinion. This one required waiting until tomorrow ("jutro je pametnije od večeri" - morning is smarter than the evening), to do it, but once you figure out the logic, it really makes sense.
The fourth one was the trickiest of all, in my opinion. This one required waiting until tomorrow ("jutro je pametnije od večeri" - morning is smarter than the evening), to do it, but once you figure out the logic, it really makes sense.
At that point I was planning to leave the last, fifth tetrahedra for yet another tomorrow, but I could not resist the temptation of seeing a finished model. Surprise: the last one is really easy to add!
The finished model had such a WOW! effect on me that I kept bouncing around my home for half and hour, showing it to everyone and cheering in delight. It was all I have hoped for.
FIT really has a powerful presence when seen in pictures, but even more powerful when held in one's hands. There is not person that could watch it without awe. It is so magnificent!
To sum it up: it was not at all as difficult as I have thought it would be. So the joke is on me, because if I knew that I would have folded it long time ago (and many times since).So, now what? My big origami goal is achieved. What to do next? - Well, the only logical thing: make many, many, MANY more FITs in all colours, colour combinations, paper patterns, sizes. Oh please, gimme more, gimme more!!!
