Old Hand-knotted Small Ball, Presumed Sailor Made Boat Fender (?)

I just love the look of this old ball, which I believe holds cork inside the hand-knotted macrame exterior, made like a boat fender, though perhaps just as a whimsy as I'm not entirely sure a fender this small would be useful (?).  Whatever the case, it definitely feels sailor made to me, reminding me a lot of sailor made knot work baskets I've had, and it definitely has a bunch of years on it. Quite a satisfying object to my eye, and a nice one to toss around, too.

2 7/8" in diameter, nicely aged. No loss to the exterior, though I can feel that there has been a bit of erosion to the cork inside, no real matter; sturdy and stable.