5x5 Parallels

This string pattern wraps around 4 sides of the cube, leaving the top & bottom blank. The string rises and descends on alternate sides. On the 3x3 there's one string, but on the 4x4 there are two parallel strings, and on the 5x5 there are three parallel strings.

The picture at right shows the reverse sides.

Octahedron Tri-color Clover

The Magic Octahedron completes the set of Tri-color Clover patterns.

There are several different ways the pattern could be achieved on the Octahedron. This one uses opposite-face colors at each of the corners, equivalent to turning each of the corners one-half turn. Because there are eight corners, it can also be done by the equivalent of turned each corner a quarter turn.

Orthogonal Pinstripes

Possibly the simplest pattern for the even-numbered cubes, Pinstripes requires only 4 moves on a 2x2x2 and only 8 moves on a 4x4x4. Only 12 moves would be required on a 6x6x6 cube.

A similar-looking pattern can be arranged on the 5x5x5, but it's based on a different principle.

5x5 Spring Time

This spring-shape looks a lot like a 3-cycle rotation, but it's really an opposite-face pattern. For an opposite-face pattern, it employs the bare minimum number of edge cubies of each type (other than none).

Some faces use odd numbered quantities of center-edge and center-corner cubies, adding a little complexity to what would otherwise be an easy beginner's pattern. Just a little.

5x5 Clover

This pattern uses a fairly simple opposite-face two-color scheme. It's a nice exercise for cubers who are just learning to do 5x5 patterns. How few moves can you reduce it to?

The string winds up to the top face, then curves down and back up onto three adjacent sides, then winds back down to the bottom (where it repeats the pattern). If the sides were folded up where you could see them they would form two three-leaf clover shapes.

The pattern is illustrated schematically at left. There are straight line on only one side. It's more interesting to look at in person than in a photo.

Sawtooth

This pattern that can be adapted to any size cube. The sawtooth pattern winds around four sides, and the top and bottom are just blank.

4x4 Three-way Stripe

This simple geometric pattern requires only 12 moves starting from a solved cube.

And it looks about the same from all vantage points: any 3 faces you look at will point in three different directions.

This three-stripe pattern swaps all center cubies with those on the opposite face, something that can't be done on a 2x2, 3x3, or 5x5 cube. So unless the fabled 6x6 Olympic Cube becomes readily available this pattern is restricted to the 4x4 Rubik's Revenge (and equivalent 4x4 cubes).

The illustrated cube is a 1982 Rubik's Revenge, made in Macau. At the time, that would technically make it a Portuguese cube.