So, I know effectively nothing about weaving, but a loved one who used to have access to a loom has recently been lamenting the loss of said access, and has also intimated that tartan might be fun to weave. Though I'm not actually considering such a purchase, such conversations prompted me to start looking into what it would cost to purchase a loom. The result is that my head started spinning from all the options out there, all rattled off as though one already knows that they mean.

So -- as a purely hypothetical question -- could someone out there explain to me what loom options one needs if one wants to make tartan on it? I get that tartan is a 2/2 twill made with many different colors of thread, but I have no idea if that affects heddles or spindles or funiculars or whatnot...

For clarity, said individual's love of weaving was on an 18th-century loom, so if we were considering a purchase we would not be looking for anything heavily mechanized, if that makes any difference.

Thanks!