Are Your Pickles Crunchy?

Hmmm. 

So we opened one of the first jars of pickles that I made the beginning of May.  Let them cure for about 4 weeks.  Taste, good.  Texture, bad.

I'm not sure what went wrong.  I thought through the whole process again and tried to pinpoint maybe where I mess up. 

But I followed the directions step by step, and I got my info from 'the people' (Ball). 

So, what did I do wrong?  We opened a second jar today at lunch - this jar I added 1/2tsp of Tabasco to get some heat.  Not only were they not all that hot (there was a mild flavor there), but they too were not crispy.

Something in the process was not right.  I believe Ball, but how could it have been that wrong?  I mean, I am not a fan of floppy pickles (but Brandon thankfully is). 

Any ideas?  Not sure I'm going to venture into the pickle making world again if my pickles are soggy.