Hi, I don’t have literature for this right now, but you might try origami figures with folds or foundations that equal the number you are looking for.
A - 21 = Origami Apple, with 21 folds
B - 39 = Origami Bird with 39 folds
C - 44 = Origami Cat with 44 folds
As the loci, you could choose an origami with 26 folds, with which you ‘walk through’ with your fingers, bringing to mind what is in that part of the loci.
This gives you several benefits and mind-opening effects. The folding is tactile, you’ll feel the paper and the sharpness or lack of with the tips of your fingers, giving you another sensory memory.
The act of folding, of recalling what the next fold is, will help in recalling the letter and its value.
Hope that helps. I’ve been playing with this since I thought it up to use in a novel I’m doing, and it has been quite amusing. Also, you can use knots, since there is only one way to tie a knot the path is clear for the loci aspect. However, 26 movements is one heck of a knot… and I doubt a tangle will help much.
…some notes
Apply motion-based recall: instead of viewing the model, rehearse a single motion (e.g., squash fold, open sink) to rotate through stored memories—like rotating a Rubik’s cube face. This engages procedural memory, not just spatial, and activates long-term action-based encoding.
The foundation for these methods rests on the fact that origami is recognized as requiring visualization and spatial thinking, making it an effective model for structuring and organizing complex data into a retrievable spatial map or sequential process. Here are strong methods for integrating origami techniques with spatial memory strategies: 1. The Sequential Crease Pattern Pathway (Structuring Serial Memory) This method utilizes the highly ordered, step-by-step nature of complex origami construction as a fixed, sequential path for memorizing complex information or processes that require strict ordering. Origami Components Used: Folding Sequence, Detailed Steps, Crease Patterns, and Bases. Methodology: 1. Establish the Path: Select a complex origami model with a large number of detailed steps (some sophisticated designs have more than a hundred steps and take hours to produce). The progression of the folding sequence itself becomes the path of loci. 2. Assign Locations (Loci): The steps in the folding diagram serve as ordered loci. Assign key information points (the item to be remembered in sequence) to specific, unique folding maneuvers or transitional moments: ◦ Major Steps: Use the transformation of the paper between the major bases (like converting a Kite Base to a Bird Base, or beginning a new section of folding) as major locations for large chunks of data. ◦ Specific Maneuvers: Map smaller, distinct points of data to technical detail folds, such as an inside reverse-fold, a sink fold, or a swivel fold. The visual complexity of these movements and the physical difficulty of performing them serve as memorable anchors for the associated information. 3. Utilize Kinesthetic and Visual Cues: Since origami is described as requiring kinetic learning (physical participation/doing an exercise alone), the physical act of performing the fold while rehearsing the linked information leverages the body and emotions to create the medium for thinking. The memory is cemented through the motor control involved in learning the new skill and the ability to visualize the transformation (visualization is required by origami). 2. The Geometric Base Map (Organizing Relational Concepts) This method uses the distinct geometric components of the final origami structure or its unfolded pattern as spatial containers for grouping related information, enhancing memory through geometric association. Origami Components Used: Bases, Flaps, Crease Pattern Geometry, and Modularity. Methodology: 1. Define the Map Architecture: Use the geometry of the origami model as the map or container for the information. ◦ The Unfolded Lattice (Flat Crease Pattern): The crease pattern is an intricate lattice of crease lines. Assign different categories of information to distinct regions of the flat crease pattern (e.g., specific combinations of triangles used in technical folding, or geometric areas governed by different fold theorems like Haga’s theorems). ◦ The Flap Structure (Appendages): Identify the necessary flaps (loose bits of paper that become appendages like wings, legs, head, ears, horns) required for a design. If designing a complex subject like an insect needing 16 flaps, each flap (or set of legs/wings) can serve as a separate, distinct locus for related information. 2. Employ Symmetry and Color: Exploit the inherent visual qualities of the paper: ◦ Symmetry: Use the pleasant symmetries of origami to organize parallel concepts. For example, assign mirror-image information to symmetrically opposing parts of the model (e.g., one theme to the left wing, and a contrasting theme to the right wing of an Orizuru). ◦ Color (Two-Sided Paper): Use models that intentionally employ the two colors of the paper (like the two-color models found in Origami Inside-Out). Assign contrasting or dualistic information to the visible colors or sides of the folded figure. 3. The Emotional/Kinesthetic Anchor (Maximizing Memory Encoding) This approach focuses on enhancing the encoding process itself by marrying the memorized content with the intense emotional and sensory experience of folding, drawing on principles of emotional memory. Psychological Components Used: Emotional attitude/memory, Kinesthetic/Sensory Modality, Focusing Attention. Methodology: 1. Isolate the Sensory Modality: When initially linking the information to the fold, ensure the learner is fully engaged in the kinesthetic modality (touch). Focus attention intently on the tactile experience—the pressure required for a valley fold versus a mountain fold, or the precise action of pulling layers through an inside reverse-fold. 2. Attach Emotional Valence: Memory is enhanced for emotionally significant events. Associate the content being learned with the emotions provoked by the origami process: ◦ Challenge/Triumph: Link difficult or high-stakes content to the feeling of complexity or the strategy/tactical thinking required to successfully transform a base into the final model. Successfully completing a highly complex fold (like the T-Rex requiring dozens of meticulous steps) provides a moment of triumph to anchor the memory. ◦ Frustration/Precision: Use the feeling of frustration when striving for the extreme precision needed in geometric folding (e.g., accurately dividing a side into thirds or ninths, which is possible using Haga’s theorems) to anchor concepts requiring high accuracy. 3. Future Pacing the Memory: Use the concept of Future Pacing (an NLP technique that links a specific behavior with the right external cues so that the behavior occurs automatically later). Once the information is anchored to the specific fold/locus, visualize successfully recalling that information when observing or performing the associated origami action in the future. The visualization should be positive, as the mind struggles to differentiate between the real and the imagined positive scenario, making the subsequent retrieval easier.
Hope that helps… and you are still reading.. 
