Chapter 6: The Four Traditional Stitches

All of Kasuti's decorative range is built from just four stitch families. Understanding these thoroughly — including which are reversible and which are not — is the single most important technical foundation for both making and evaluating Kasuti work. Sources vary slightly in the Roman-script spelling of these Kannada terms (Gavanti/Gavanthi/Ganti; Murgi/Muragi; Negi/Neygi/Neyge/Nyege; Menthi/Menthe/Menthya/Henthe); this book uses Gavanti, Murgi, Negi, and Menthi throughout, noting variants where relevant.

1. Gavanti (Double Running Stitch)

Gavanti is Kasuti's most frequently used stitch. Its name is generally explained as coming from a Kannada word for "knot," though the stitch itself is prized precisely because it produces no visible knots. Gavanti is a double running stitch: worked forward along a line skipping a fixed number of threads each time, then worked back over the same line, filling in exactly the gaps left by the first pass. The result is a solid, continuous line of stitching that looks identical — or very nearly identical — on both the front and back of the fabric.

• Direction: can be worked horizontally, vertically, or diagonally.
• Typical use: outlining, geometric borders, and the structural lines of larger motifs such as gopura towers.
• Reversibility: fully reversible when worked correctly — a key quality marker of skilled Kasuti.

🖼️ DIAGRAM — FIG-01 (Gavanti) Type: Custom SVG technical diagram — delivered as /assets/img/diagrams/fig-01-gavanti.svg Content: Schematic of the Gavanti double running stitch: the first pass (solid line) leaves gaps that the return pass (dashed line) fills exactly, over a visible counted grid. Suggested size: 800 × 500 px Caption: "Fig. 1 — The Gavanti double running stitch: outward pass (solid) and return pass (dashed)." Alt text: "Diagram of the Gavanti double running stitch showing forward and return passes over a counted grid." Status: ✅ Delivered as a custom SVG asset with this project

2. Murgi (Zig-zag / Ladder Stitch)

Murgi is closely related to Gavanti in construction and shares its reversibility, but is worked in a zig-zag rather than a straight line — moving diagonally up and down between two parallel rows of holes, so that the finished stitch resembles the steps of a ladder. Like Gavanti, it is completed by a return journey that fills the gaps left by the outward journey, so that stitch length and spacing stay perfectly regular and the reverse side looks as neat as the front.

• Typical use: borders, zig-zag geometric bands, and structural "ladder" lines within larger motifs.
• Reversibility: fully reversible, like Gavanti.

🖼️ DIAGRAM — FIG-02 (Murgi) Type: Custom SVG technical diagram — delivered as /assets/img/diagrams/fig-02-murgi.svg Content: Schematic of the Murgi zig-zag stitch: outward diagonal pass (solid) and return diagonal pass (dashed), connected by the "rungs" of the ladder. Suggested size: 800 × 500 px Caption: "Fig. 2 — The Murgi zig-zag stitch, worked between two parallel guide rows." Alt text: "Diagram of the Murgi zig-zag ladder stitch between two parallel rows." Status: ✅ Delivered as a custom SVG asset with this project

3. Negi (Darning / Weaving Stitch)

Negi is described in craft literature as an ordinary running or darning stitch, and its name is linked to the Kannada word ney, meaning "to weave" — an apt connection, since the finished effect closely resembles a woven textile pattern rather than a line of embroidery. Negi is worked by varying stitch length across a row (long and short stitches) to build up denser or larger areas of coverage, most often used for bigger, bolder motifs rather than fine outlines.

• Typical use: filling larger motifs and covering broader areas with a woven-looking texture.
• Reversibility: unlike Gavanti and Murgi, Negi is not reversible — the front and back of the fabric look noticeably different. Multiple sources also note that Negi requires the most skill and patience of the four stitches, and is consequently the stitch most often shortened or avoided by less experienced or commercially rushed embroiderers.

🖼️ DIAGRAM — FIG-03 (Negi) Type: Custom SVG technical diagram — delivered as /assets/img/diagrams/fig-03-negi.svg Content: Schematic of the Negi darning stitch: rows of long and short running stitches, offset row to row, building a woven-looking fill. Suggested size: 800 × 500 px Caption: "Fig. 3 — The Negi darning/weaving stitch, built from offset rows." Alt text: "Diagram of the Negi darning stitch showing offset rows of long and short stitches." Status: ✅ Delivered as a custom SVG asset with this project

4. Menthi (Cross Stitch)

Menthi is an ordinary cross-stitch, worked over small counted squares of the fabric grid. Its name comes from the Kannada word for fenugreek seed, which the small stitched crosses are said to resemble. Menthi produces a denser, heavier-looking texture than the other three stitches and is generally used to fill in smaller background areas or to add solid, textured detail within a larger design — often, as several sources note, layered with or used to accent areas already worked in Negi.

• Typical use: filling small areas, adding texture and visual weight, background fill.
• Reversibility: least reversible of the four — the front shows neat crosses while the back shows a pattern of horizontal (or vertical) bars, not a mirror image.

🖼️ DIAGRAM — FIG-04 (Menthi) Type: Custom SVG technical diagram — delivered as /assets/img/diagrams/fig-04-menthi.svg Content: Schematic of the Menthi cross stitch, worked as a grid of small crosses over counted squares. Suggested size: 800 × 500 px Caption: "Fig. 4 — The Menthi cross stitch, worked over counted squares." Alt text: "Diagram of the Menthi cross stitch grid over a counted fabric grid." Status: ✅ Delivered as a custom SVG asset with this project

Quick-Reference Stitch Comparison

Stitch	Construction	Reversible?	Typical Use
Gavanti	Double running stitch, forward + return pass fills gaps	Yes — front and back nearly identical	Outlines, geometric borders, structural lines
Murgi	Zig-zag running stitch, diagonal forward + return pass	Yes — front and back nearly identical	Zig-zag borders, ladder motifs
Negi	Darning/running stitch, varied long-short lengths	No — front and back differ	Filling larger motifs, woven-look texture
Menthi	Cross stitch over counted squares	No — least reversible of the four	Filling small areas, background texture, added weight