An alternative way to finish instead of tying a knot in the last two strips. Follow same steps, but at the last strip, pull it through the previous strips as all the others, cut it (so the ends are free) and tie it around the strip that you start with. So that it looks completely uniform. Since it still has a knot, it's still secure. Tuck the ends (which were very small) into the "braid". It worked really well.
