A method of making a knitted shoe component using a knitting machine having a front needle bed and a back needle bed, the method comprising: (a) knitting one or more fibers to form a toe portion; (b) knitting one or more fibers to form a first wing portion extending from the toe portion and knittingly connected to the toe portion, the first wing portion having a first edge comprising a plurality of stitches; (c) knitting one or more fibers to form a second wing portion extending from the toe portion and knittingly connected to the toe portion and laterally separated from the first wing portion by an initial separation distance, the second wing portion having a second edge comprising a plurality of stitches; (d) disposing the stitches of the first edge and the stitches of the second edge in a rib knit configuration on the front needle bed and the back needle bed; the method being characterized by (e) knitting the first wing portion to the second wing portion to form a heel portion, wherein knitting the first wing portion to the second wing portion comprises: transferring the stitches of the first edge to the front needle bed and transferring the stitches of the second edge to the back needle bed; optionally knitting at least one additional knitted course on each of the first and second wing portions to provide one stitch on each active needle of the front needle bed and the back needle bed; racking the back needle bed and/or the front needle bed to reduce the lateral separation between the first wing portion and the second wing portion from the initial separation distance to an intermediate separation distance; transferring the stitches of the first edge from the front needle bed to the back needle bed and transferring the stitches of the second edge from the back needle bed to the front needle bed; racking the back needle bed and/or the front needle bed back to the position of step to reduce the lateral separation between the first wing portion and the second wing portion from the intermediate separation distance to a knitting separation distance; and wherein the initial separation distance is greater than a maximum racking distance of the stitches of the first edge and the stitches of the second edge in the rib knit configuration on the front needle bed and the back needle bed, and wherein the initial separation distance is greater than 7.62 cm (3 inches), or the knitting separation distance is equal to or less than the maximum racking distance, whereby optionally, the knitting separation distance is 2.54cm (1 inch). (a) knitting one or more fibers to form a toe portion; (b) knitting one or more fibers to form a first wing portion extending from the toe portion and knittingly connected to the toe portion, the first wing portion having a first edge comprising a plurality of stitches; (c) knitting one or more fibers to form a second wing portion extending from the toe portion and knittingly connected to the toe portion and laterally separated from the first wing portion by an initial separation distance, the second wing portion having a second edge comprising a plurality of stitches; (d) disposing the stitches of the first edge and the stitches of the second edge in a rib knit configuration on the front needle bed and the back needle bed; the method being characterized by (e) knitting the first wing portion to the second wing portion to form a heel portion, wherein knitting the first wing portion to the second wing portion comprises: transferring the stitches of the first edge to the front needle bed and transferring the stitches of the second edge to the back needle bed; optionally knitting at least one additional knitted course on each of the first and second wing portions to provide one stitch on each active needle of the front needle bed and the back needle bed; racking the back needle bed and/or the front needle bed to reduce the lateral separation between the first wing portion and the second wing portion from the initial separation distance to an intermediate separation distance; transferring the stitches of the first edge from the front needle bed to the back needle bed and transferring the stitches of the second edge from the back needle bed to the front needle bed; racking the back needle bed and/or the front needle bed back to the position of step to reduce the lateral separation between the first wing portion and the second wing portion from the intermediate separation distance to a knitting separation distance; and transferring the stitches of the first edge to the front needle bed and transferring the stitches of the second edge to the back needle bed; optionally knitting at least one additional knitted course on each of the first and second wing portions to provide one stitch on each active needle of the front needle bed and the back needle bed; racking the back needle bed and/or the front needle bed to reduce the lateral separation between the first wing portion and the second wing portion from the initial separation distance to an intermediate separation distance; transferring the stitches of the first edge from the front needle bed to the back needle bed and transferring the stitches of the second edge from the back needle bed to the front needle bed; racking the back needle bed and/or the front needle bed back to the position of step to reduce the lateral separation between the first wing portion and the second wing portion from the intermediate separation distance to a knitting separation distance; and