>Earlier pieces having a knitted or crocheted appearance have been shown to be made with other techniques, such as Nålebinding, a technique of making fabric by creating multiple loops with a single needle and thread, much like sewing.[4] Some artefacts have a structure so similar to knitting, for example, 3rd-5th century CE Romano-Egyptian toe-socks, that it is thought the "Coptic stitch" of nalbinding is the forerunner to knitting.
To doubt that knitting existed in Roman Times is preposterous. Thats like saying they could not weave baskets. Instead your incredible hypothesis lends credence to recent studies by internet sleuths that indicate history as we are taught may have an extra 1000 years added simply because dates have been mistranslated or misconstrued to read a 1 (one) where there is indeed an I or J symbol, denoting years since the Christ; IOW that that 1999 is actually J999.
The only geometry the knitting demonstrations justify is "pins around hole". I don't see an argument for the dodecahedron shape or the cast metal. A vastly cheaper wooden jig with nails would service just as well and offer much better ergonomic possibilities, like a handle. The knitting with the finger growing inside the dodec looks unhelpful and implausible.
Unnecessary complexity & expense, and if it were part of a mass production process you'd expect to find them clustered in production centers or something. These are found scattered randomly and individually in graves and border forts.
You also wouldn't need such a complex object for that. These things were extremely difficult to cast in the years that they were made. It would be far easier to carve a similar device out of wood as a glove-making jig.
I love seeing all of the nerdy (and wrong) explanations of it, when in reality somebody’s grandma took a look at it and said “oh that’s for sewing gloves”.
No mention in the article for this purpose, but sometimes it takes a bit for grandma info to reach the researchers.
It was suggested and some old bird even showed it was possible to do it, but it was not a complete explanation, especially given some variations in designs that made glove making hard. Another plausible option is it served as a calendar of sorts. Equally mundane explaining the broad distribution.
