I try to vary the types of buns I wear, as a bun is the best way to contain my fine, easy to tangle hair.  Some of the buns I use are

• cinnamon bun
• figure eight bun
• infinity bun (the figure 8 on its side)
• braided bun
• crocheted bun (twist the hair for a bun, make a loop, grab your hair thru the loop, making another loop and continue until all the hair is crocheted, then make a bun.)
• chinese knot ( put hair into a ponytail, slide a long hairstick between the scalp and elastic, make figure 8's around the ends of the hairstick, leave enough length to then wrap around the base)

Besides hair sticks and hair forks, you might look for a beak clip.  Ficarre is a very popular brand of these clips - their spring is very strong and good for thick and long hair, but there are other, less expensive brands.  The length of the beak is important, so make sure it is long enough to hold your hair.  I've not used these clips myself, so someone else can probably suggest styles with them.

Here is a sitethat shows how to tie scarves (I love there scarves and own several myself).