Hacky Sack Hoodie: Frequently Asked Questions

The pattern calls for 3.5 sts/inch on a worsted weight yarn. The ballband of that yarn calls for 4.5sts/in. Is this a typo?

Nope! After I swatched, knitted, washed, blocked, and measured the thing, I hit 3.5sts/in on the sweater’s body. Curiously, my unwashed, unworn gauge was 4.25 sts/in. Blocking, and then the weight of the finished sweater, make a huge difference. I reported my true gauge so that knitters would know exactly how the sweater in the photograph was made.
There’s a more detailed post on swatching here.

I’d like to use a different yarn. Should I use a worsted yarn or a bulky yarn to match that gauge?

This all depends on the yarn and your knitting style. Lamb’s Pride Worsted is a relatively thick worsted; I’d happily substitute Cascade Pastaza for it to get the same gauge, but not Cascade 220 nor Wool-Ease Worsted. I’d consider Cascade 109 or Wool-Ease Chunky instead. Your choice should depend entirely on whether you get a nice looking swatch that meets gauge and doesn’t look like mesh.

But I’d really like to use Cascade 220. Or Cotton Fleece. Or Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock. How can I do this?

Look for an upcoming post on how to substitute out-of-gauge. The quick answer is, either knit the sweater with a smaller needle according to the next-larger size directions, or start the sweater and keep repeating the raglan increase rows until the body is as wide as you’d like it to be. (The length of the arms and armholes size themselves up decently in the bargain.) The hood of this sweater is pretty generous, so (for example) switching to size 8 needles and knitting tightly probably won’t make the hood unusable.

Could you clarify the lapped neckline instructions?

Certainly. There’s a walkthrough post here, and a printable PDF file of that information here:
Hacky Sack Hoodie Collar Tutorial PDF

After you join in the round after the hood, where do the rounds begin and end?

They begin and end right between the left sleeve and the sweater’s back. This is a little bit obscured in the instructions; the (end of rnd) marker noted in the row before the BODY heading is the right one.