A subsequent modification? Maybe they weren't "born" as chopsticks...
Regarding the fit, the chopsticks were individually made to fit each scabbard. Each workshop did it their own way, no standardization. I've had to replace missing chopsticks on these things, and you always have to find the nearest size and shape/cut to fit.
Not to difficult to convert to knitting needles by grinding points on the ends. But I've never seen an original set with those "ball butts". Artzi has an encyclopedic collection of some very fine examples of the genre, and no such animal lives there.
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