How does CAN work?

[kamocat]

Sure.
On a CAN cable, the color sequence (for both connectors) is White, Black, Red, Green, Yellow, Blue, as read from left to right with the contacts facing up as if you were to plug it into a port directly in front of you.
Both ends of the cable are this way.

On a phone cable, the color sequence is Blue, Yellow, Green, Red, Black, White. Both ends of the cable are this way.

What makes the cable straight-pinned is not the color sequence on either end, but simply that the sequence matches for both ends when both connectors are held in the same orientation.

I hope that's clear enough.