Thanks for the expert advice! I didn't realize sheet bends were so suspect, I'll have to research the knots you described.

Hmmm, maybe I tied the butterfly wrong or am remembering it wrong. I'll have to play with it and see, it's honestly been a year or two since I've put one under load.

And thanks for the disclaimer! Yeah I didn't mean to make it sound so easy to help someone with knots, I've never actually used a bowline for this purpose, I've just heard it explained that way for emergency use. But I agree it'd have to be an extreme emergency to risk using the wrong equipment or technique, better to just wait for proper help if it's safe to do so.

All of my experience is just novice stuff with Paracord, etc etc. My rock climbing experience is all just indoor bouldering 😬

Thanks again!