Sneaking/Thief Troubles..., Thief Tips, anybody? ^^;; Options

[MerGirl]

Um, some dumb-ish questions on tips on how to be a part-time thief-part-time-battle-mage.

Okay, here is my situation: I have done a few of the main quest-quests, and I'm thinking of taking a break and joining the Thieves Guild. Bribed and used my lovely Speechcraft skills on a beggar. She mentioned something about meeting at the Elven Gardens or something (forgot right now) with the Thieves Guild.

I've heard on official elder scrolls forums that there is some sort of 'test' you have to pass in order to become recognized as a Thieve Guild member.

*Okay, what I'm worried about is, what level should I be to pass this test? Like, how high of a sneaking skill/thieving skill should I have?*

I've tried stealing a few things, but, as soon as I get out of the house/building, the nearest guard would rush towards me and punish me as if he had psychic powers or something. *Could someone explain how the crime system works?* Apparently, my sneaking skills are too low or something.

Basically, any sneaking, stealing, pickpocketing, thief tips are greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[MerGirl]

Ah, okay. Cool. So faded eye= good. (For some reason, I thought it was vice-versa, like the eye glowing meant it was safe to steal .) That could explain my recent bad luck with guards. Thanks, guys. =)

Just few more questions (sorry if they're dumb ):

1. How much does armor and weight of clothes/shoes affect sneaking? Like, I usually wear dresses (because I'm not much of an armor girl) and maybe sandals or cheap shoes. Do my shoes have to be the lightest they can be in terms of weight (that little feather symbol) or do I have to wear boots? (I'm a little confused because I heard shoes can affect sneaking or something. At least, I'm pretty sure I heard something like that.).

2. If I talk to someone (or guard) after stealing something of theirs (or breaking into their house recently), do I get in trouble right away? Like, will they know I stole their stuff, if I talked to them with their stuff in my inventory? Or, if I broke into their house, and then exited the house, the owner of the house is right outside... Do they know?

3. Does my sneaking/stealing skill affects how valuable/heavy an object I can pickpocket?

Besides that, I think pretty much okay with the rest of the stealing part for now. Sorry for my dumb questions.