Today, during my lunch break, it came off the frame... finished, with some random patterning (and a few mistakes I was too lazy to fix). The patterning was made to explore transitions between s- and z-slanted interlinking, and to take a close look at how things look when they are right. I also got to test how alternating s- and z-interlinking makes a true braid in 1/1 oblique interlacing - the actual thing I did have in mind to try when I made this setup.
Towards the end, it looked like this:
I remember how utterly awkward it was when I tried the first time to work the last centimetres with knitting needles... but at one point, it sort of clicked, I found what kind of motions I need to make with the needles in order to sprang my way happily across the threads, and now it's actually comfortable. There is a point, in fact, where I find it much more awkward to still press my fingers into the shed, though still entirely possible, than to switch to nice thin pointy sticks.
Anyway, I worked my way across, I tried (succesfully) combined s- and z-interlinking with the needles instead of my fingers, then finally chained up the thread bits in the middle... and then I sat there with one long, narrow strip of stuff.
Which I promptly coiled up, sewed together, and now I have a small, fancy-looking bag with an unstretchy top edge:
Now I only need an idea what to use it for...