Has this ever happened to you?

You're ready to knit yourself a sweater that you've been wanting to knit for months.

You've settled on the yarn and you've even done a gauge swatch (or four).

You settle down and start knitting.

After several inches, you notice the sweater seems a little bit small.

You get out your ruler and double check the gauge.

You stretch the knitting just the teeniest bit to get the right gauge and continue knitting.

You stop every couple of inches and measure again, telling yourself it'll be fine; it's only half a stitch off. (Can you see where this is going?)

You knit the entire back of the sweater before you decide to ask your friend what she thinks.

That's when this:

becomes this:

I've already cast on for another sweater, Knitting Pure and Simple's Neck Down Swing Coat, using the yarn from this failure.

I still plan to make the Drops sweater.   I just couldn't bring myself to start it over just yet.  I'll find a different yarn and I'll remember that sometimes gauge swatches do lie!