I often use streamlined "skeleton" sketches that I then reference in a final sketch. This allows me to lock down and simplify the most important relations and then the more intricate details of the final sketch are kept separate. as a simple example, you might have a complex polygon that you want to have radii on. it is much easier to sketch the radii-less polygon and then in a subsequent sketch use edge, pick the loop - and add a bunch of fillets to the sketch.
you might think, well why not keep it simple and in one sketch? actually it's not as simple to have in one sketch. if it fails - you can see where it fails. and for my example, the dragging the radius bigger or smaller doesn't affect the shape of the polygon, etc.
when I need a sketch to have a pattern, I often will create the prototype shape, then pattern it, then create the final sketch and just use edge -> loop.
if you don't like to see separate sketches, then group them.
it works, it works well, and it's just the way this software works. I personally wouldn't mind if there was a way to create patterned sketch features within a sketch. however it would just be a novelty to me. after 20+ years using pro|E / Creo, I can confirm - simple sketches are more robust. and more complex sketches are more robust when broken up into multiple steps.
The attached video shows this 2-sketch method. it's for a complex polygon and a simple radius. if you included the radius in the original sketch dragging would be horribly unwieldy. Anyway - the same concept works for patterns.
Video Link : 7509
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