dryer woes

I was trying to be good and empty my dryer lint holder, when an errant baby sock ran down the lint trap. How in the world do you get it out?! I have tried a skewer and my hand, but have gotten nothing. Now I am stuck waiting to see if the sock will melt and catch something on fire, or just catch on fire itself. It's hard enough to get something into the dryer, but now I have to babysit it too. Woo-hoo. I mean, I knew the dryer ate socks, but this is ridiculous.