diff --git a/lib/net/http.rb b/lib/net/http.rb
index 973998f..bf9dc8e 100644
--- a/lib/net/http.rb
+++ b/lib/net/http.rb
@@ -865,6 +865,10 @@ module Net   #:nodoc:
     private :do_start
 
     def connect
+      if use_ssl?
+        @ssl_context = OpenSSL::SSL::SSLContext.new
+      end
+
       if proxy? then
         conn_address = proxy_address
         conn_port    = proxy_port
@@ -887,7 +891,6 @@ module Net   #:nodoc:
             ssl_parameters[SSL_ATTRIBUTES[i]] = value if value
           end
         end
-        @ssl_context = OpenSSL::SSL::SSLContext.new
         @ssl_context.set_params(ssl_parameters)
         D "starting SSL for #{conn_address}:#{conn_port}..."
         s = OpenSSL::SSL::SSLSocket.new(s, @ssl_context)