The Magic of Proper Blocking

I worked hard on the Oriel lace. The first blocking, I stretched and pinned the pieces down, then thoroughly sprayed them with water. They were too small and I was sad, so sad. After a bit of research I thought I'd try a full, wet block. I dunked the piece in water and soaked it for a couple minutes before pinning it down. Here is the newly blocked (still wet) front with the back on top (blocked using the previous method).
I don't think this will be too small anymore.

Oriel Lace

I loved this pattern from the moment I saw it, but knew I couldn't afford over $200 for the yarn.

I eventually settled on Elann's Lara as a lower-cost replacement.

I had doubts about the high neck - that's usually not a flattering look for me - but decided to follow the pattern for once.

I've enjoyed working on this. It's so gorgeous that I wasn't interested in anything else.
I knit the back, then the front.

After finished the front I realized there was no neck shaping at all... that just seems weird. When I looked at the magazine pictures in more detail I noticed there seems to be some extra fabric where there should be neck shaping.



Why not shape the neck? Is there something about the lace that isn't conducive to shaping?
I thought I'd try blocking the 2 completed pieces and evaluate from there. Now the neck seems like a minor problem. The whole thing is too small.

I'm disgusted.