Make your own cane!

(adapted from comments originally made on bellydanceforums.net)

Go to your local home improvement store and head to the dowel section(in the Lumber section) or to a craft store. Look at the 36" long (unless you are REALLY tall) and 1/2" diameter dowels and get one that is PERFECTLY STRAIGHT. You will have to go through the bin, but your investment of time will be rewarded. Cane can be used as is for practice, or embellished . . .

Tape Method:
If you don’t want to paint, stay in the home improvement store and either head to the electrical section for some colored tape or the heating section (where they sell ductwork) and get the silver, shiny tape they use to seal ducts. Wrap the cane in your tape of choice.

Painted method:
Now, if you are crafty, stop by the paint department and pick up 1 can of spray primer, one can of paint in the color of your choice (metallic paints are nice). On the way home, swing by a craft store and get some puff paint in complimentary colors. (Ok, the dollars are adding up to $15 to $20, but you could use the various paints when you invite your friends over for a cane painting party.) Then, stop by your favorite beverage emporium and get two six packs of a beverage AS LONG as it comes in a cardboard carrying unit (glass bottles), the kind with the little cutout that acts as a handle. When you get home, remove the beverages to the fridge and save the cardboard. (Caution: consumption of certain beverages in high quantities may impact the quality of the forthcoming paint job.) Now, when the outside temperature is suitable for painting, take the cardboard carriers outside with some newspaper, your dowel, and the spray paint. Set up the two carriers on the newspaper and slide the dowel through the cutouts so they act as a stand. (You may need to weight the beverage carriers with rocks or empty bottles.) Gingerly spray on the primer, let dry, rotate, and repeat. Same with the color of your choice (spray, dry, rotate, repeat). When dry, bring the whole mess inside to the kitchen counter and dribble on the puff paint on the cane in a pattern. There is no right or wrong, here.

You will now have a custom cane that can match your favorite outfit(s) and that is VERY practical. And, the puff paint ensures a good grip when performing. I have found that using a "dot" pattern to apply the paint helps to balance the cane on your head because the “dots” make little points that grab hair nicely.