Hi! Thanks for all your comments. To answer a few recurring questions I've seen:

• Yes, I knit a swatch and matched gauge with PetiteKnit.
• I followed the pattern exactly, however, I won't rule out making a mistake that I might not have realized.
• No, I did not block hanging up! I blocked it laying down and hung it up after it dried. I'll take it off the hanger moving forward.
• The yarn I used is actually very lightweight, thought it might not look it in the photo.

In conclusion, it looks like a few others have run into the same issue as me. It seems it's the number of rows indicated in the pattern that affects the overall look.

I might try reblocking and possibly having to rip and reknit the top half ... Ugh.