Last week we were talking about ways to avoid the hole that often forms at the top of the heel. When I was working on my second Six-Pack Sock, I took a few ictures of how I deal with this annoying problem.
In this photo, I’ve turned the heel and I’m ready to resume working in the round:
(Remember, as always, you can click on the photos to see larger versions.)
As you can see theres a bit of a gap between the top of the heel and the instep stitches. So I pick up a stitch:
I pick it up from the center of a stitch so it looks more natural. I knit the stitch.
Then I continue and knit across the instep stitches. Then I pick up one stitch at the other side of the heel. On the next round, I knit each picked up stitch together with the heel stitch next to it.
In the comments, a few of you mentioned that Charlene Schurch recommends picking up 2 stitches on each side. I used to do that, but I’ve found that once I got adept at it, I only need to pick up one stitch and that closes the gap nicely.
Thanks for all your lovely comments about the Six-Pack Socks. I’ll be sure to let you know when the pattern is available.
I’m working on another sock, but I’ll talk about that tomorrow. 
Un-Official Start of Summer Giveaway!
Here in the United States, Memorial Day (which is today) is the un-official start of summer. In celebration of summer, I’m giving this away:
A brand-new still-in-the-box 1GB iPod Shuffle. This iPod was donated by my mom. She won it in a raffle, and offered it to me for a blog giveaway. Thanks, Mom! 
To be entered in the iPod contest:
1. Write a summer-themed Haiku. A Haiku is three short lines. The first line usually contains five (5) syllables, the second line seven (7) syllables, and the third line contains five (5) syllables. For example:
Summer-time is here
heat and humidity now
turn the a/c on.
Yeah, T.S. Eliot I ain’t. But I wrote that on the spur of the moment, so do cut me some slack.
Okay, write a summer-themed Haiku and leave it in the comments for this post. If it is not summer where you are, you can still enter — it may be the start of winter for you, but you can still write a summer Haiku, right?
2. One Haiku per person, please.
3. Leave your Haiku comment by midnight Eastern time, Thursday, May 29, 2008. The WendyKnits panel of judges will select several finalists. These finalists will be published on Sunday June 1 for everyone to vote on, and the winner will be selected by popular vote.
Okay? Don’t worry if your comment doesn’t show up right away. My spam filter does not appreciate fine poetry, so your entry might be ensnared in its net. Not to worry, I’ll go in and release comments from time to time.
Lucy is clearly trying to come up with a good entry.
I’ll have to break it to her gently that she is ineligible to enter.
Kids are off from school
They swim, I watch, I knit socks
Before cool days come
Heidi Nicks last blog post..always losing my Blistex (not anymore)
Small needles – just right
For summer knits and fending
Off annoying kids.
Splashes by the pool
Is the only way to beat
Hot and humid days
wow – a lot of knitting haiku…. mine is not about knitting. this is the first one that came to mind:
Summer sun scorches
As I’m stuck inside with a
Screaming two-year-old.
Leighs last blog post..The promised update
Pools, picnics, sun screens
Watermelon, lemonade
Sun hats — summer things
Summer time is here
Full of fiber festivals
Knitting and Spinning
Melissa (Meliabella)s last blog post..Forgetful!
knitting in summer
brings me nothing but joy now
happy place for me
Debis last blog post..Moving on…
Listening to birds
Fresh breeze cooling my hot skin
Napping in the shade
Being more of a limerick girl myself–here’s a bonus for you
There once was a knitter named Wendy
Whose blog was very trendy
She knit lots of socks
Her patterns, they rock!
And they’re not even very spendy!
I never said they were “good” limericks!
laceweight yarn in pink
embossed leaves and garden path
summer of socks rocks
nikkapotamuss last blog post..New Pictures coming soon!
Who has time to plant?
Summer of Socks is at hand.
Weeds, weeds everywhere.
The breeze of summer
As I sit outside and knit
Just me and my yarn
Carbon emissions!
A.C. not the answer now
Try an ice cold beer
heather ts last blog post..New (Used) Toy!
The seagulls flutter
I smell the salt in your hair
Sloth is not a sin
summer rain’s falling
to my left i see the sun
the rainbow floors me
Oh! Green grasshopper
How high you can jump,
Yet you go nowhere.
Heathers last blog post..Discovery
How fun! here’s my offering:
the sun blazing down
time for seeking shady spots
ahhh… trees are blessings
Who can resist a contest? Why bother trying?! So, here’s my entry:
Smart knitters know that
sweaters knit in summer’s heat
remember that warmth.
LaurieMs last blog post..Like Nasty Medicine
Not quite summer themed, but on my mind because summer is coming.
My son’s eleven,
He’s always on the go,
The I-Pod is HOT!
A Houston summer
from April to November -
A/C still working?
How sweet of your mom! : ) Okay, here is my entry:
Summer is to me
Baseball games and lemonade
sunflower seeds too
Amys last blog post..
Misty morning skies
Burn off to intense blueness
Puffy white clouds dance.
Jennifer Robins last blog post..Back to Basics
basil-lime cocktails
ice-chilled and breezy amidst
lawn candles and dusk.
Warm summer breezes
Knitting in the bright sunshine
A near perfect day.
One day of Summer
Complete with twisters and hail
Now back to the cold.
A haiku for Minnesota on Memorial Day weekend…
Knitting while watching
Vibrant Summertime Sunsets
Pass the Sangria!
Hot, sweaty fingers
Put the wool away and knit
cotton and linen
Miserable heat
There is no escape from it
I long for winter
beckys last blog post..Memorial Day
An ode to summer
Bees buzz, flowers bloom, birds sing.
Water splashes, child laughs.
Beaches and sunshine
Kites, cabanas, sand castles
Let’s load up the car
Mercury rises,
sultry waves of heat engulf;
no sock weather here.
Sues last blog post..Back from the Big D!
The Haiku
Hot sun cool breeze slips
through fingers like silken strands
sliding twixt bamboo
Susan Hurrells last blog post..Thursday 13 – Reasons I am More than Slightly Monarchist
Gulf Coast SOP.
97 in the shade.
No winter woes here.
The gaze of the bright sun.
It’s he who makes the summer
Gloriously hot.
Lush green and verdant
summer flowers bloom brightly
and fade far too fast.
Screened porch is open
Birds sing and cat listens hard
She sighs, summer’s back
Ahem…a summer haiku, Colorado style:
Snow in the mountains
Hailstorms ripping up the plains
You call this summer?
Imbriums last blog post..Love is…
beach boys up real loud
driving down the shore so fast
summertime at last!
bamboo cotton lace
breathing against my skin, mmm
surrounded by love
Enjoy the sunshine!
Here’s my Haiku…
Winter knitting done
I dream of soft merino
till snow comes again
Sarahs last blog post..Another Year Older, and Another Prize
Warm weather knitting time
wind up skeins for vacation
“Summer of Socks” begins soon!
echoing thunder ::
a hummingbird in and out
of the daylily
Too be young again
School is out for summer fun
No more teachers rules
Pats last blog post..Lot’s of stuff
Texas summer hurts
Vancouver Island is cool
Can’t wait to arrive
Warm breeze blows softly
Through windows open to light
Feel the joy inside
How about:
summer’s heat creeps in
and it happens every year:
patterns for wool call…
Sheepish Annies last blog post..ZZZZZZ….
Summer breezes blow
Across the fields of flowers
While they dance…I knit.
Joannas last blog post..Wow Time Flies!
My haiku:
Summer sun shining
Basil growing in a pot
Lazy days- Enjoy!
Thanks for the tutorial on sock holes!
Nells last blog post..I Have Flat Feet…
Bees attack my hair
Bugs are flying in my face
I’ll stay in and knit.
juless last blog post..Sunday
Fireflies flash their evening light
Tree frogs sing their song
May my yarn be as lovely
A blatant and unabashed plea for an iPod which life seems to be in the way for me to obtain…
It’s a cruel summer
Without iPod in ears – oh
The humidity.
Dusas last blog post..Rumor has it…
Okay here goes;
Summer heat presses
Humidity hangs in air
Cool cotton knitting
Haiku from Canada, land of the long dark winter:
Sol kisses my skin
You gotta love that feeling
Plus Vitamin D!
Summer Joy
Greenest green wet grass
Sweet sticky melted ice cream
Dripping on my toes.
Yum! Jack Frost Ice Cream
Peppermint and Chocolate Chip
In a Waffle Cone
Sarah-potterknitters last blog post..Wow, Really?
My entry!
A night on the beach
Knitting at the bonfire
Needles down – S’mores!
(went back and forth on this – some friends say it “sa-mores”, two syllables, I grew up saying it smores, kind of one syllable – so the last line can be as above, or “Needles down for s’mores!”)
(mmmmmmmmmm s’mores! headed for the beach now!)
I know summer’s here
The backyard fountain’s bubbling
The lilac’s in bloom
My honey the “master” gardener has got the first fountain going today! While I worked on second sock.
knitting in the sun
listening to my ipod–
mini vacation
bonus haiku (because I get started and just can’t stop):
hot and humid nights
need to buy laceweight and knit
a mosquito net
Here is my Haiku:
Some may think I’m nuts
Sitting on the sandy beach
Knitting on my lap
Good bye woolly socks
Here comes the cooler cotton
See you next winter
Whew that was tough, hope its okay!
Lauras last blog post..When Pigs fly…..
No a/c at home
That’s why I knit in public
Seeking shade and cool.
Erins last blog post..Lolcats: Is there anything they can’t fix?
Hot sticky bodies
Lemonade quenching parched tongue
Hoping for a breeze.
Fuji Mamas last blog post..Yuzu Euphoria
Summer lap is hot
Aran Afghan a bad idea
should have knit some socks
How I love haikus.
Can’t wait for the 6 pack pattern!
Danas last blog post..I’m done…
This haiku was composed by a friend I had in school, for a ninth grade class. It was right after the tennis match between two famous tennis players of the time, Billy Jean King and some guy named Billy Riggs, I think – not sure of his name.
On a summer’s night
while millions watched intently
a King beat a Pig.
Sorry, no knitting content there, but I have never forgotten it! I always regarded the girl that wrote it as a genius, which she was in many things. The only connection to this blog contest is the word ‘summer’, just wanted to share it.
Louise
wilton’s icing glows
on the summer cake and wool sock
tangible and sweet.
Mikis last blog post..Book Binding
Thanks, Wendy’s mom! Thanks, Wendy! Maybe you can guess what I’ve been up to after reading my haiku! Here it is:
Summer dyepots sing,
Winter knitting fun to come,
Putting color by.
Julias last blog post..Little Things
Whoa Wendy (and mom) how generous a prize ! We were just looking at these for daughters sweet 16 in early june! So hmmm…
Seattle you see
Needs extra sun and warming
To block out the rain
Tanyas last blog post..i got tagged!
My world turning green
I will knit green things to match
Wendy’s best color
and a gratuitous birthday one (not for the contest)
My birthday in May
Shared with Wendy’s dear mother
Oh, excellent day!
Give her my best wishes this Friday. Tell her I think all the most intelligent and refined people are born on May 30th. (I may be biased.)
What a wonderful prize! A great kick-off to summer.
Long days longer nights
Gleaming sultry summer heat
Lightning bugs abound
Ok – keep in mind in live in Eastern NC where it will be above 90 for days on end in a few short weeks, and the thought of being covered in a wool fabric will make me shudder.
The mercury boils;
I refrain from knotting wool
‘Lest I wish to fry
Megan S.s last blog post..Stars and Stripes.
sunshine days are here,
lazy, peaceful summertime;
wish that it could stay!
a tip to help w/judging: try singing the haiku to the first few bars of “moonlight in vermont.” if it scans right, it’s in classic haiku form. this tip comes from a lawrence block mystery novel in the bernie rhodenbarr series. the “sample” bernie uses is:
haiku’s just a bore;
mere pedantic sophistry.
stick it in your hat.
Here goes. I have to enter or my brain will keep trying to think of other haikus!
Frozen custard
can you taste any better?
Foe of my swimsuit.
Quick! Knit hats, scarves, socks–
We’re preserving the harvest
Against the winter
Hot time in DC
There is no knitting with wool. . .
Bamboo, by the pool!
Kozy Kittys last blog post..Reflection
Yarn: twenty dollars
Gas to yarn store: four dollars
Ice-free roads: priceless
Kerrys last blog post..Bird Talk… and a contest!
Summer time- hooray
Bring out my cotton and hemp
Stow the wool away
The leaves are full green.
The breezes are warmer now.
Relax in the shade.
Summer comes at last.
The winter was far too long.
I am happy now.
ccr in MAs last blog post..Pan in the shower
Summer sure it hot
No A/C in my dwelling
I will sweat a lot
Sorry….this is what came to mind
Vancouver summer
with flowers blinking colour
and beaches weary
: )
Leones last blog post..All the Cheezy Song Titles Here
Melting brain on fire.
Missouri humidity
Rots all; not yet June
Yeah, I suck too!
My mom knits, and I just look at this site for Lucy photos(fear the power of the fur), but I am an AWESOME poet and I had to make one. Plus she won’t buy me an i-pod so I’ll just have to win one.
School is out right now
My mom finishes projects
She makes me new socks
Please, pick mine for all the i-pod less middle schoolers out there. Thank you for your kindness.
Wow, lots of haiku poems already!
Here’s my shot at it:
Socks are the perfect
Hot weather knitting project
Knit from cuff to toe.
Hatties last blog post..Socks That Rock Overload
Bursting with laughter,
soft fingers cover my mouth.
Spirit from within.
Leslies last blog post..Haiku
Ha! I can never think of haikus, but I think I’ve got one.
Fire up the grill
My husband finally cooks
Summertime has come
Summer in the south-
Hot, sweltering, but wait-BOOM!
Thunderstorms approach.
At least that’s what we WANT to hear right now. :-p Bring on the rain!
In Minnesota
Summer is heralded by
Less snow than winter
Chriss last blog post..More purr-sonalities
Knitting lighter now
Gin and tonic to inspire
Summer heat and fun
Music fills the air
Children running joyfully
The ice cream truck’s here!
Tifffanys last blog post..
I despised the cold
But now it’s too hot to wear
my lovely beret.
Kelseys last blog post..Finished socks
watermelon rind
dropped onto the porch table
seeds fall in the yard
Cathys last blog post..Easy Come, Easy Go
roses love sunshine
kids play and splash in the sun
warm sunset evenings
Sharons last blog post..An afghan and some socks
Lazy days time to knit,
Heat and Wool do not mix.
Linen will be the fix.
red bloom the poppies
icy beverage trickles down
sand and surf and sun
Cotton, Linen, Cool.
Refreshing In Summer Heat.
Sublime, Ethereal.
It’s been a long time since I’ve written a Haiku, I hope Lucy approves. I looked at my first sock yesterday and there were huge gaping holes where I had picked up stitches. I could have used this post back then. I love the colors on the six pack socks, and the pattern is lovely. Happy Knitting!
Kelseys last blog post..In Which the Slacker Returns
No more professors
Exams and papers turned in
Hibernating mind
Phew! Now that my work’s done I can delurk too!
Blue green lapping waves
Salt air cooling ocean breeze
Bare skin warm sand bliss
Here’s my summer haiku-
Gets hot in summer
knitting is still fun for me
sweaty hands and all
Love the new socks! The blue yarn looks cool.
kids are out of school
long summer days spent at home
when do they go back?
Sherry Ws last blog post..Book thing the girls are doing
fluffy cat shedding
fur combined with wool and sweat
will not stop knitting
marys last blog post..$$ = Class
Too hot to knit, and
Mosquitoes love my fair skin.
I prefer winter!
Thanks, Wendy, and thank your Mom for such a great prize!