Let me see if I can illustrate my point through characters:
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See how the top line and bottom line, how each segment doesn't really line up with the segment below it, they're spaced oddly. In my experience, this creates a smoother, less pixelated looking line. In the sprite you've done, it looks real pixilated.
Also, and I don't know why, it doesn't look like a thin canvas stretched inbetween posts, it looks like the entire blade is really thick. :/
The colors are pretty nice though.