The Household was a newspaper column run from the Detroit Free Press and other newspapers across the country that encouraged women to submit their favorite patterns, recipes, and ask for help as a form of primitive messaging board run by editor May Perrin Goff.

The Household printed this pattern originally on January 2, 1886.

Some hints on the terminology:
Seam = purl
throw thread over = yarn over
wool over = yarn over
knit X plain = knit

No gauge or other details are given as the women were expected to apply this as needed to their projects and choose the appropriate yarn and needles themselves.