It's Got a Good Beat, and You Can Dance to it

I think that knitting books are exactly like record albums.  And knitting patterns are the same as pop songs.  I might be a singer/songwriter, but it's impossible for me to predict which song will go straight to the top of the charts.  I keep wondering what makes some knitting books go platinum, while others never get any air time.

As I work on new designs this week, I wonder if I could solicit an opinion or two?  Yes, I know you are all shy shrinking violets, but try and muster up some outspoken-ness just this once for me, Gentle Readers.  What I want to know is this:  What makes a knitting design a chart-topper?

Here are some of Knitting's Greatest Hits:

Claptois , by Kate Gilbert

February Lady, by Pamela Wynne (a cover of the original hit by Elizabeth Zimmermann)

Koolhaas, by Jared Flood

Jaywalker, by Grumperina

The popularity rankings of these pieces on Ravelry are proof:  These are songs we love to sing along with.  They speak to us in the true language of our inner knitter.  So what IS it, my friends, that makes the perfect knitting pattern?  The one we come back to again and again?  What are the elements that matter most, and make us say "Oh Man, I have GOT to make one of those!"?

Thanks as always, for weighing in.  I'm gonna go write some new songs while I wait to hear from you.