Wheel threading problem. Help!

[CRASH]

I'm restoring a 20" muscle bike for a friend's niece. Normally I rebuild wheels with fresh spokes. This time, in the interest of saving him money, I just unbuilt the wheel to clean it, then put it back together. I thought I looked at the pattern before I took it apart. I thought it was 3-cross. It's been a week because I've been busy. I started putting it back together, but it's not working.

2 cross is too long. I've got not room to tension the wheel.
3 cross is too short. I spokes seem too short.

I've no idea what to do. Any ideas?

 

[tucker]

Have you got your front spokes going on the back, and vice versa?

 

[CRASH]

I just laced it 2-cross, cut the spokes down and filed the two that still poked through after I tensioned them. Crude, but it's done.