Thank you kassandra, I just wanted to know I'm not the only one.

With my 'Destruction" set and "Highway Thief" set, none of the partial set bonuses work. For example, 3-piece Destruction is supposed to give extra health, and 4-piece Destruction is supposed to give +3 Heavy Armor. I can see the listed bonuses in my active effects, but they don't make a difference ...

From what I know, crafting is incomplete in Nehrim. As in don't bother - there's nothing high end to forge. I think vanilla Oblivion console cheats can boost your skills if you want - probably armorer in this case.