Make a minimalistic bracelet to symbolize ahavah (love), protection and luck

One of my favorite things about Valentine’s Day is making small presents (Valentines or Galentines!) for my girlfriends. Even though it’s not a traditional Jewish holiday (the Jewish Day of Love, Tu B’Av, is celebrated in summer), I have a soft spot for holidays that let the special people in my life know just how special they are to me.

I recently discovered that there’s a wonderful Jewish connection to celebrating a day of love, specifically with the number 13! In Hebrew, the word “love” or Ahava has a numerical value of 13. This is because each letter of the Hebrew alef-bet (alphabet) is associated with a number. The letters in Ahavah are Aleph-Heh-Bet-Heh, and the numerical values add up like this:

א (Aleph) 1 + ה (Heh) 5 + ב (Bet) 2 + ה (Heh) 5 = אהבה Ahavah = 13

I decided this year that I would incorporate the number 13 in the valentines for my friends. I made simple adjustable thread bracelets, delicately strung with 13 tiny beads (the numerical value for ahavah) nestled between two knots. You can use any color thread you’d like for these bracelets, but I chose red. In ancient Jewish mysticism (Kabbalah), a red string bracelet is also worn for protection and luck. So this minimalistic bracelet packs a punch and holds a lot of meaning…ahavah, protection and luck!

The process of making the bracelets is pretty simple. When you’re gathering your supplies, I think the most important thing to keep in mind is to make sure your beads have a hole that can actually slide onto the string. Whether you are making a bracelet for yourself or several to give as gifts, this style is adjustable to fit many wrist sizes. Ready to celebrate ahavah and the number 13? Let’s go make some seeded bracelets!

Here’s what we used to make a bracelet that will fit up to a 9” wrist:

1. 14” of red embroidery floss (about 1 mm in width)
2. 15 - 2 mm Seed beads (I used gold, silver, and shimmery glass beads)
3. 1 round bead (a little larger than the seed bead, with a hole large enough for two strands of embroidery floss to fit through)
4. Beading needle
5. Scissors
6. Ruler
7. 2 straight pins (optional)

Here’s how to make it:

1. Thread the embroidery floss through your threading needle. One end of the thread should be very close to the side of the needle. If it sticks out too far, it will be difficult to pull your beads onto the thread.

2. String the beads onto the needle and glide them onto the embroidery floss. Depending on the size of the hole in your beads, you may have to do this one by one. Some seed beads can have very tiny holes, so make sure your beads will fit onto your embroidery floss.

3. Center the beads in the middle of the floss, and tie a knot on each side of the beads to keep them secured in the center. As you can see on the ruler below, my knots were spaced two inches apart. A trick for tying knots is to pin down the thread at the exact point where you want the knot, and then tie the knot around the pin. When you pull your pin out, you will have a perfectly placed knot.

You can also use this method of tying knots without a ruler.

4. Now we’re ready to finish the bracelet and make it adjustable. Fold the bracelet in half…

and thread your larger bead through both ends of the floss. Place your large bead about 4 1/2 inches from the tip of the bracelet fold. Add a seed bead onto each strand and tie a knot to secure the seed beads in place (as shown in the photo below).

5. Trim the ends of your strands just above the two knots. When your bracelet is folded flat in half, the finished length will be about 4 1/2 to 4 3/4 inches. The large bead slides up and down the the floss, adjust to up to a 9 inch wrist.

And that’s it - a beautiful bracelet to celebrate Ahavah - love.

You’re never too old to give friends a Valentine, and handmade presents are just so much fun! This bracelet is a versatile too with so many little beads just waiting to be made into a bracelet. They also look pretty with a charm tied in the middle of the thread, and it’s cute to wear several at a time!

Let me know if you make a bracelet, and if you’re looking for more DIYs for “grown-ups” be sure to visit these pages:

1. Red String Bracelet
2. DIY Mother’s Day charm necklace

How are you celebrating Valentine’s Day? Let us know in the comments!

Wishing you lots of love,

~ Susan