OK, here`s the situation. I`m 48, a single parent of two little ones in elementary school. One income does not allow me to afford lessons. I started about 2 months ago and I`ve learned to play many songs by ear, but it sounds very mechanical. How do I make the notes flow together smoothly?
It`s one thing to play notes, another to make the music.

You`re very lucky to be able to play by ear. It`s sad that you can`t take lessons since that allows you to develop musicality (playing with emotion etc) because you use all differnet techniques (vibrato, bow hold). I suggest you listen to recordings by famous violinists of the pieces you can play. You`ll be amazed at how different a same piece can sound by different players. It all has to do with how you interperet the music. Interperet the piece and put emotion into it. But like I said before, the techniques have a lot to do with making your music sound more beautiful and less mechanical. Good luck!

watch Kurt Sassmannshaus` violin masterclass series on the web...

Try difference bow strokes - playing several notes on one stroke, ect. That will make some difference. Press harder with the bow to play louder, and practice playing softly as well. Hope that helps!