making dashed strokes using pattern brush so the lines are editable

[Jacoblady]

I'm am on Windows 10, using Illustrator 2024, which I got 1 week ago. 

I am creating Celtic Knot designs that will be used to cut out stencils.  Dashed lines are great, except I cannot have lines touching when they get to an intersection.  It is crucial that my lines show the over and under crossovers.  But, it is also imperative that the lines coming to an intersection do not touch the crossing lines.  

It has been suggested that I have to make the lines with a pattern brush so that they are editable.  I've tried to make a straight pattern brush with 10% spacing.  All is well until that point.  I keep getting a notice that I have to select a side pattern.  I can't have anything besides the dashed line as a computer will be reading this for the cutting lines.  I am doing the following steps:

1. upload my hand drawn design and open new layer
2. Using pen tool, I make lines 1/4" wide, making sure every place a line crosses over itself I use a new different color
3. Group, Shape Builder with thin outlines
4. Merge areas to create over and under crossings
5. Group, Set up Pattern Brush.......then I head into a brick wall

The following is an example of how my last piece looked before I discovered Shape Builder and before I realized that to cut stencils I cannot have the lines touch the intersecting lines (it cause the machine to cut out entire sections instead of leaving a line for me to use to mark my work with the stencil.

[c.pfaffenbichler]

Can you provide the ai-file? 

[Monika Gause]

I do not understand what you are going to do there? In which way do you use the pattern brush? You are mentioning the shape builder tool - How do you build this?

How do you make the pattern brush? By dragging artwork into the brushes panel? How will your brush artwork look?

[Jacoblady]

I need to edit any place where 2 lines connect.  They can be close, but not touching.  So, I need the dashed lines to be editable.  As it is, they are not.  So I have no way to edit the space where they connect (see the bottom right section of the bottom loop).  On this particular design there are not a lot of these, and it would probably not be much of a problem.  But, on other designs 3/4 of my lines do touch.  And when you cut out on the lines, whole sections can be cut out instead of cut around.  

One person had suggested using the pattern brush but I can't get it to apply because it tells me I need to select a side pattern.  I can't find anyway to get past that error.  So, I do not know if it will solve my problem or not.  

[Jacoblady]

To build this type of design I can use the pen tool and draw in all the lines (1/4" wide), expand, group, shape builder to identify and merge the over and under lines, then do an outline.

Or I can start by using shapes, ellipse, to create loops then use shape builder to edit the shapes to fit the design.

[Jacoblady]

For some reason every time I try to attach my ai file I get an error that the file extention does not match the file so it is removed.  As soon as I can figure out how to attach it here, I will