This was a pattern for round 4 of Sock Madness 13, a speed knitting contest. (See the Sock Madness Forever group for more information.)

A canon is a piece of music in which an extended melody in one part is taken up successively in one or more other parts. One voice begins a melody, which is imitated by some other voice, either at the same or a different pitch, beginning a few beats later or stating the theme simultaneously backward, moving in the opposite direction or as a vertical mirror image. There are even riddle canons, where the rules of how to play them have to be guessed from some clues provided by the composer.
A lot of fun can be had with this type of music, and it’s no wonder many great compositions like Johann Sebastian Bach’s Goldberg Variations and his “Musical Offering” are full of all kinds of canons.

There’s no riddle involved in making these socks,
but you can see that the pattern shifts and offsets and produces its own mirror image, but forms a consistent, pleasing overall design all the same.
- I hope you’ll have fun knitting these socks!

And if you haven’t had enough fun once you finished knitting the socks, there’s more:
the pattern provides optional instructions on how to work some surface crochet that closes up the holes left by the yarn overs (which makes the socks suitable for colder weather or for recipients who
don’t appreciate lacy “holes” in their socks), while at the same time embellishing the sock.