17th Century Knitted Jacket

I'm really intrigued by the 16th & 17th century knitted jackets.  There are over a dozen extant jackets in various museums and many seem to have common elements such as a front opening, a basket-weave hem, and damask/floral motif.  There's some debate as to how they were worn; some  speculate it was worn in the home, and others are listed as hunting jackets.  They were worn by men and women alike, though the sleeveless varieties are attributed to men only.

Of the floral motifs, there is typically an outlined designed coupled with purl (reverse) stitches inside - often with a strand of silver or gold thread.  I'm thinking if you went to the trouble of adding some glitz you probably didn't wear it around the house or hunting, but what do I know.

And we're talking tiny stitches.  Around 16 - 19 stitches per inch.  As a hand-knitter myself - I'm thinking oh, hell no!  I do not have 6 years to knit a jacket.  As much as I want to replicate this cozy style I'm going to choose some fingering weight yarn and a more attainable 8 stitches per inch gauge so I can finish while I'm still around to wear it. I love a challenge, but there's no point in making an investment in something that would likely never be finished.  I think a stranded-work jacket in fingering yarn is challenging enough.

I'm surprised I haven't found anyone else's attempt at reproducing one (have I missed something?)  There's detailed notes (loose instructions) and detailed charts in Seventeenth-Century Women's Dress Patterns: Book 1, though I'm working with half as many stitches (re: gauge) and a different floral motif better suited to my gauge.

And what the hell - since I'm already breaking the rules, lets use some economical and machine-washable yarn.  Let's face it, it's not like it's going into a museum.  If it gets worn to the local Renaissance faire it'll get traipsed around a forest and turkey leg juice on it.