You could, but it may look sort of funny. It might help to narrow down which E-11 you are going for...ANH, ESB, or ROTJ?
They are each slightly different than the other. I have a few E-11 ANH versions and below is a Hasbro mod. For this one, I used craft wire and wrapped it around a pen to get the curls. It's stiff so it does not wobble, like a telephone cord.